Torn Wings
by 19Answers
Summary: The war has ravaged both lands and peoples. In the midst of all the suffering, one particular person has a pair of wings torn by more than just the fighting. R&R PLEASE
1. Chapter 1

The stench was overwhelming. Thick and heavy, with a single breath the smell would flood the nostrils and rush onward into the lungs, invading all of the senses in one furious assault. It would be tasted in one's mouth. It would block out all sound. It would make one's vision darken. It would make one's body feel grimy. There was no escape from it.

The area had an inner feeling of silence even though there were close to a hundred carrion birds screaming their glee to the skies. Blood was all over the battlefield making a special wet crimson carpet. Bodies, some wearing red most wearing green, were strewn everywhere. It was a scene of death. It was a scene common to these lands.

In the midst of a small mound of the dead, one young man, a boy really, still struggled to breathe. Despite his many wounds, he had somehow managed to stay alive and retain his consciousness. He was too weak to move but not yet close to death. All he had to hope for was a slow painful death from either loss of blood, or from the enemy. He prayed it would be from loss of blood. Just as he had that thought, a shadow covered him. He looked up and dread curled up his spine as he realized that he would not be granted a merciful death.

A slight figure wrapped up in a blue-hooded cloak stood over him; the cowl pulled up. He could feel its eyes gazing at him from the black opening of the hood. They stared at each other. Then, the figure reached up and pushed back the cloth to reveal a veiled face with storm gray eyes and long silver hair piled on top of a woman's head. At the sight of the woman, the wounded warrior began to feel panic creep into his mind. He recognized what she was instantly. This woman was a noble of the Avin court. In the centuries old war between Avin and Serapan, both countries taught their children almost from birth how to distinguish an enemy with noble blood. Later, they taught them how to kill them.

Off in the distance, voices could be heard, getting louder every second. The man's eyes jerked towards the voices then flicked back to the figure. The woman continued to stare right at him. Despair began to seep into him. There was no way the Avin wouldn't recognize him. Aside from his obvious Serapan features, his armor's emblem could not be mistaken for anything else but an enemy noble's. She might even be able to recognize him as one of the younger brothers of the current king of Serapan, Prince Gregory, only sixteen years old. When she stirred to move, he closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the last few moments of freedom and sanity he had.

The soft feeling of silk brushed his cheek. He opened his eyes and stared. The Avin woman, the noble Avin woman, was kneeling in the blood and dirt beside him. She pulled off one of her gloves revealing her fair skin. She laid her bare hand over his eyes. Within one second to the next, he was deeply asleep.

The woman straightened; and suddenly another, larger, figure dressed similarly to the woman was kneeling on the opposite side of the wounded noble. The newly arrived figure looked at the woman and they communicated silently. The larger person asked what the woman wished to be done. The woman commanded the larger person to take the prince and leave. The larger figure complied, leaning over the prince and vanishing.

A few minutes later, soldiers dressed in the royal livery approached the woman. "Milady, there have been no survivors found," said the lead one saluting with a bow, hand on his sword hilt. The woman nodded and turned to leave. Just before they left the outer fringes, she stopped, turned, and gazed out at the scene. Then she turned back and continued walking.

The campsite was large and lavish. Some would have said it was more of a target than campsite, but there was no fear of an enemy attacking this camp. Soldiers, royal ones, the best of them all, were swarming everywhere. Some were sitting around a campfire eating, joking, and laughing. Others were sparring, the clang of their weapons ringing throughout the area. Still others were dancing attendance to a large group of giggling, obviously noble females. Regardless of what activity they were engaged in, they all had their weapons close by and scanned the perimeters of the camp constantly.

The woman entered and passed through the camp without paying any attention to any of the things around her. As she walked further into the camp, the soldiers dropped away to join their comrades. By the time she reached a plain, medium-sized tent, she was alone and entered it without a backward glance. Inside, there were three pallets, a trunk, three small travel bags, and a pitcher of water. One of the pallets was rolled out and on it lay the wounded boy from the battlefield. Beside the pallet, knelt a large man with dark blonde hair cut an inch from his head.

As the man nodded to the woman, she reached up and removed her mask, revealing a clear, heart-shaped face of eighteen years or so. Swiftly she walked to the prince's side yanking off her gloves in the process. The instant she touched his bare skin with hers she froze, and her face took on a distant, glazed look. The large man sat back on his heels and settled to watch.

For the next four hours, the young woman and the young prince stayed in that same position. If one looked closely, they would have observed the worst of the wounds begin to knit, that the girl began to sweat profusely as her whole body began to shake. Darkness had fallen by the time the girl shuddered and blinked, breaking her frozen state. Too weak to support herself, she slumped backwards and was caught by the man. He lifted the pitcher of water to her lips, and they again had a moment of silent speech. Assurance was asked for and given. Then the man carefully laid the young woman on the second pallet next to a tray of food. Before she had lifted the lid of the first dish, the two men were gone.

It was well past midnight when an old Serapan farmer and his wife were awakened by an insistent knock on the door. The old man immediately got up and grabbed a mean looking club from beside his bed. Those who lived on the eastern border always had weapons ready. The knocking cut off as the man made his way to the door. When he reached it, he glanced out of the peep hole. Seeing no immediate threat, he cautiously opened the door an inch to peek out. Not seeing anything at first, he moved to shut the door and return to bed, when, he heard a small moan. He looked down and his jaw dropped. He recognized the Serapan prince at once but could not imagine what on earth he was doing on his door front in the middle of the night. Bending down to try to ascertain it was the prince and not a dream, he then saw the rent armor and torn and bloody uniform underneath. Jerking his head up, the farmer scanned the area, but still, he could not see who it was that had carried the prince there. Finally giving up, he gently picked up the prince, carried him inside, and set about taking care of him and informing the king of his brother's whereabouts.


	2. Chapter 2

On the sixteenth day of autumn, some of the highest citizens of Avin gathered in the private throne room of the White Light palace. It was not what one would expect of a throne room. There was no display of expensive furniture or beautiful paintings. Instead, there was a dais with three thrones, one large and two smaller, at one end of the room, and several chairs clustered around the dais and on the opposite side of the room facing the dais. Then there was the display on the walls. Sinister looking weapons that gleamed dully in the light and gruesomely detailed tapestries of battle were hung all around.

All of the people were dressed in silks or satins of various colors and cuts. On the largest throne sat a large young man with white hair and eyes. This man was Kimsha king of Avin. Sitting in the two smaller thrones to his right were two women. One was older, perhaps mid-forties, but still beautiful with an almost unlined face, deep blue eyes, and strawberry blond hair. The other was obviously young, around seventeen. She had silver hair and eyes, but not much else could be seen of her because the veils she was wearing obscured most of her face. In the chairs surrounding the dais, sat a group of men, some young, some old, some middle-aged. They made up the king's council. Guards were spaced out along the walls, while Guardians stayed by their master's sides.

Then, lounging in the chairs opposite the thrones like dark clouds in the midst of a blanket of white, sat three men. Their skin was tanned, and two of them had dark brown hair and eyes and were dressed in dark green uniforms, guards. The third was dressed in silks rivaling those of the Avins. He was younger than the other two and his hair was as dark as a raven's wing with the black eyes that were characteristic to the royal family of Serapan. He was the Prince Gregory, and the enemy of Avin. In Avin, all Serapans were said to be cruel, soulless, and not to be trusted. Ye they had sent a message to the king asking for a private audience under a truce flag and had just made a proposal that had the Avin nobles' jaws dropping and had silence descending.

"Let me see if I have this right," the king said slowly. "You have been sent by your king, King Zane, to request a meeting at the Tigern royal palace to discuss a possible peace treaty. Do I have that right?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the prince said politely. "His royal highness, King Zane, believes that our two countries have been at war long enough and that it is time to end it."

"Lies, Your Highness," one of the councilmen jumped up and shouted angrily. "They wish to draw you away from the safety of the palace so that they can assassinate you along the road. These Serapans cannot be trusted!" There were murmers of agreement from the other councilmen.

"I assure you that the King is completely sincere in his wish for our two people to be at peace," Prince Gregory replied. "He realizes that you would think this a ploy, so he set measures that, if you agree to this meeting, will prevent either side from using this as an opportunity to attack the other."

"What measures?" the king queried his eyes slightly narrowing.

"Both royal families will have to attend. This will help to ensure that both sides are focusing more on their own protection than trying to ambush the other. However, the main incentive to be honest is that the Tigerns have announced that if one side harms the other, they will end their position of neutrality and join the war on the wronged side. Now, all we await is your decision whether or not you will accept the proposal."

Everyone held their breath as the king gazed at the Serapans in silence. Finally, in a strong voice, he said, "Tell your king that the Avins accept and will be at the Tigern palace on the date specified." Gasps erupted from some of the Avins, in shock and in anger. The Serapans bowed and turned to leave. As they were walking towards the doors, two of the guards caught their eyes. One was a man with hair and eyes a shade of brown darker than the normal Avin. The other was a woman with mischievous blue eyes and light brown hair. There was nothing to set them apart from the rest of the guards in the room, but the Serapans noticed them. And as they exited through the doors, they saw the two wink.

Five days later, three Serapan men arrived in the Green Jade palace on Serapan land. As soon as the guards saw their faces, they were escorted to a private room in the royal apartments. There they were met by three more people. A man and woman identical in their black silk uniforms and a tall, muscular man that was dark even by Serapan standards. His hair was as black as night and hung to his shoulders. His eyes were like that of the Princess', so dark one could not discern the pupil from the iris. He was handsome, though some might have said that his features were a bit cruel looking. "How did it go?" Zane asked his brother as soon as he entered the room.

"It was a success," Gregory replied exuberantly. "They have accepted."

"Excellent. Did they also agree to the terms?"

"Yes," the prince said and recited, "they agreed that the whole royal family would appear at the Tigern palace to discuss a possible peace treaty and they will not launch any further attacks so long as they are there."

"Good. You have done well, little brother."

Prince Gregory flushed in pleasure at the praise. He might already be a man, but he still looked up to his brother and was always pleased to be praised. Before they continued, a man and a woman strolled into the room smiling cheerfully. Though they were dressed as peasants, they were unmistakably the two guards that had winked at the Avin palace. The Serapans welcomed them with nods. As they sat down, Zane asked, "You had no trouble?"

"None at all, Your Highness," the woman said.

"Excellent. I will hear your reports in a minute." So saying he turned back to his brother and asked, "Did you see any girl that might have been your savior?"

Gregory's face fell and he shook his head in disappointment. The woman guard snorted and rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, Gregory. Do you honestly still believe that you were saved by an Avin noblewoman? Everyone knows that if an Avin noblewoman is not a merciless killer herself then they are worthless bits of fluff that will pass any Serapan off to one."

"And I am telling you, Abeline, that there is at least one that risked her life to save mine," Gregory forcefully countered. "Not only that, but I'm sure she knew exactly who I was when she saved me."

"You were injured. You could have had a hallucination."

"I was injured just as you yourself said, but when the farmer took me in, I was not as badly injured as I remembered. Not only that, but when I was brought back here the healers had a look at me and said that there was evidence of a recent healing of a large scale."

"Obviously, the farmer summoned a village healer who had some skill. The ones on the border are usually more powerful than the ones further inland."

"Then how do you explain how I got to the farmer's doorstep? The fight had taken place six leagues further inland."

"You must have been stronger than you thought. You must have crawled to the farmer without having any real idea of what you were doing."

"Oh? And did I also manage to somehow find fresh bandages and patch myself up?"

"Well then let's see. Hey, Karl," she turned to the male Avin, "can you name a single noblewoman that would save a Serapan?"

Karl thought for a minute before slowly shaking his head and saying, "No. I can't."

"See—" Abeline began before Eleanor interrupted her hesitantly.

"There… might be one."

"Ha!" Gregory exclaimed exultantly. "Who is it?"

"It isn't anyone," Karl cut in angrily. He rounded on Eleanor, "There is not a single noblewoman that would do this; and even if there was, it would most definitely not be HER." The Serapans stared at Karl in surprise.

Decades ago, a group of people that wanted to end the war joined together to form a secret spy group dedicated to trying to bring the war to an end. The group was made up of Avins and Serapans alike. For years they had been working tirelessly behind the scenes trying to convince both sides that peace would be better for both countries. For years, they had been scorned, even persecuted as traitors by their countrymen. Then the old king died, and they heard rumors that the new king wanted to end the war just as much as they did. They had contacted the king and gotten his assurance that he really did want peace. Then they had sent Eleanor and Karl, a young, secretly married couple, to them. Since then, they had worked together. Karl was easygoing, while Eleanor was always merry. That's why they first time they were so shocked to hear Karl speak thusly.

Karl continued to stare at Eleanor with angry intensity while Eleanor stared at the floor. Quietly Eleanor said, "She could have, you know."

Karl shook his head vehemently and said bluntly, "Yes, she could have; but she wouldn't." His voice softened slightly as he said very gently, "She is no longer the same. She is just as bad if not worse than her mother." Eleanor remained silent staring at the floor. The Serapans stared at the Avin couple in curiosity.

Finally, Karl broke the silence, "It's getting late, Your Highness. We will need to leave soon if we wish to make it back on time." The two groups said good-bye, and the Avins prepared to leave. Just before they exited, Zane spoke up. "It was partly because of Gregory's story that I decided to try for a peace talk. I figured that if even one of the nobles was as sick of this endless war as I am, then our two countries might have a chance at peace. If you do know of anyone that could have saved him, I would like to know who it is."

The two stopped. Eleanor spoke without turning around. "Karl is most likely right. I am probably just being a naïve romantic." Her voice faltered as she continued, "It's just that… some things are hard to forget. And they always affect our thoughts." She straightened her shoulders and said in a forcedly cheerful voice, "Good day, Your Highness, Prince Gregory, Abeline." With that the Avins left.


	3. Chapter 3

They were all on edge.

Chassis, the former queen and mother of the current king of Serapan, was sitting in a chair off to the side, her whole body rigid. Saralee, the eldest princess, was standing beside her, leaning back against her husband, Geoffrey, openly fidgeting. The two youngest royal siblings, Prince Nissain and Princess Hai, sat beside their mother with pale, solemn faces. Prince Gregory was pacing anxiously about the room. Lord Koral, the elderly Duke of the Marshlands and one of the most powerful councilors, sat close to the door wearing a grim expression. Generals Harson and Fische stood at attention on opposite sides of the room with identical looks of distaste. Ambassador Rind held a scroll in nervously shaking hands trying to memorize his opening speech. The eight guards that they would be allowed to actually take into the meeting room were positioned within close reach of their charges. They stood stiff-backed as their eyes continuously swept the room looking for the attacks that they were sure would come.

Zane observed all of them through half-closed lids. He alone appeared to be completely relaxed.

From the moment he had first decided to offer an attempt at peace to the Avins, one thought had taken root deep in his mind. He would have peace for his people. No matter what, he would have peace for his people. It was this determination that settled a blanket of calm about him. When the Tigrin guard opened the door and announced that the king and queen were ready, it was this determination that had him stand up, regal and commanding, and stride fearlessly into the place where he would be make a deal with his enemy.

The first thing that he saw was the man entering the hall from the door directly opposite him. Their eyes met at the same time, and they both froze for a heartbeat before continuing to their places. As Zane took his seat, he pondered on the man that had looked him right in the eye without fear.

Not many people could do that. It was one of the first things the Avins taught their children. It was one of the first things the Serapans taught their children. You do not look a Serapan royal male in the eye. For all it would take was one look, and he could control you. It was part of the royal legacy, just like the midnight dark looks, and the talents of his blood were even stronger in him. With his gaze he could delve into a person's mind and take control of them, know all their thoughts. With a glance, he could make them freeze, forget what they were doing, feel whatever he wanted them to feel. With a thought, he could make them die. Or make them kill.

There were, of course, a select few that would not be affected. They could create a veil over their minds that blinded him. There were, so far as he knew, only three types of people that were able to mask their minds from him, people that had strong wills, secrets, or desperation. All three types were potentially dangerous, and Zane always kept close tabs on them. The fact that the Avin king was immune to his gift set off alarms in Zane's mind. He shifted his gaze to the rest of the party.

The Arin party had the same number and same type of people as his did. They also appeared to be just as tense. An elder gentleman, one of their high lords, sat on the kings left. To that man's side were two of the most famous Avin generals. At the end of that side sat the former queen, Koranild. At the odd seating arrangements, Zane's brows rose. Normally the royal family would sit together with whatever people they had brought at the ends. Mentally shrugging, the thought reminded Zane there was one more person in the Avin royal family.

The royal princess had somehow entered the hall without being noticed and slipped into the seat between her brother and their ambassador. She was like a ghost, dressed in a silver silk gown and wearing a veil that obscured her face and covered her hair.

Although his face remained impassive, Zane's interest stirred as he stared at her. Could this be the woman that had saved his brother? The royal princess?

Before another thought could form, the Tigrin king spoke and Zane looked at him. "If we are ready to begin?"

Both ambassadors stood up and were preparing to open with the usual pleasantries when a deep commanding voice said, "Wait."

Everyone turned towards the owner. Zane, a polite smile on his face, he returned his attention back to the Avins.

"Before the pleasantries are read, let me say that the only way for these talks to succeed in any way, we must both be willing to set aside certain things for the sake of preserving what little civility we have."

He paused as his stare focused solely on the princess. "Therefore I must request that the princess removes her veil."

"Your reasoning?" the Tigrin king queried.

Zane's eyes never left the princess as he said, "Not showing one's face could be taken as a sign of disrespect or trying to hide something." His mouth formed a sly smile, "Of course, if she is doing it out of belief that her plain features will be upsetting to us, then I must hasten to assure her that no matter how ill she looks, I have probably seen worse."

One of the generals immediately jumped out of his seat, his face flushing in anger. "How dare you—"

He stopped when he saw the princess raise her hand, effectively cutting him off.

"King Zane is in the right," her soft, melodious voice said. "It is a sign of disrespect." She turned to Zane and bowed deeply from where she sat. "I apologize. I did not mean to offend." Slowly, she lifted her hands and began to remove her face covering. As the cloth finally fell revealing her face, there was a collective intake of breath.

Zane's mental jaw had fell into his lap. The princess was, without a doubt, the most beautiful female he had ever seen. Glossy silver hair was twisted into an elaborate knot. She had a heart shaped face with a flawless complexion. Delicately arched brows and long silver lashes drew attention to her icy gray eyes. She had a patrician nose and a full mouth.

It was a face of a goddess.

Even as Zane took all of this in, one of her brows arched as the princess returned Zane's gaze levelly. Another shock went through him. She too could look him in the eyes without falling victim to his talent.

"If I now meet with your approval, may we proceed?"

Zane slowly nodded forcing himself to look at the Tigrin king and queen.

The king cleared his throat, "Then, let us begin."


	4. Chapter 4

The meetings for the day were already ended, both sides having expressed their desire for peace and their hope for an alliance, and now Zane and his people were gathered in the parlor of his guest chambers to listen to Karl and Eleanor who had come to give reports on the people in the Avin party.

"Lord Chinshi is the Duke of Nordo. He is in his late fifties, but is still a sly old fox and very rich. Then there are Generals Bido and Wakar whom you have mostly likely heard of. Bido might be one of those willing to end this war, but Wakar is utterly against it. Ambassador Fuja is one of the highest diplomats in Avin and is always chosen to serve for serious missions."

Karl paused to take a sip of water before continuing. "Now we come to the royal family and their guardians. The king is twenty-five years, the same age as you, Your Majesty. He was born the eldest son of the old king, King Mirn, and his queen, Korinald. He began training in all areas befitting the heir—fighting techniques, etiquette, geography, history, logistics, law, languages, and more—since his fifth year. The old king died in battle when the boy was fourteen. Since he was too young to take the throne, his mother was appointed Regent until such time as he reached the age of twenty-one. After his father's death, he became extremely devoted to his studies. So far in his reign, he has always been known for being honorable and merciful, yet just. Smart and strong, he is, overall, a good king, and his subjects love him. His bodyguard, Finstar, is absolutely loyal to him and is also known as an honorable man. The two of them make a good partnership.

"The former queen, Korinald, is forty-one. She was the middle daughter of a lower dukedom that has since been eradicated and absorbed by another. It is said that she has never been much of a queen or a mother. According to reports she became unstable about her family and the war after her husbands death. She was disliked for the seven years she ruled as regent and is not much loved now. She and her son are at odds with one another and have had several run-ins since Kimsha ascended the throne. She switches guardians a lot, but her current one is called Naith."

Karl stopped and glanced at Eleanor. She sighed and picked up where he had left off.

"Finally, we come to the last two of the group. I am sure you have heard of Andreios. He was the acknowledged best warrior Avin had. Then, he decided to join the guardians and was assigned to the princess. To all appearances he is fanatically loyal to her."

Eleanor stopped and her gaze fell to the floor. When she continued to speak, she did not lift her head.

"Then there is the Princess Danica. At nineteen years, she is the younger, and only, sister of the king. Like her brother she, too, began being schooled in subjects befitting her station at the age of five. However, in her eighth year when her father died and her mother ruled, the princess was sent away for private schooling. She did not return until her fifteenth year when her brother was crowned. By all reports she is very…quiet. She wears a veil which started a new fashion in Avin. Unlike the rest of the court, though, she has never been known to take hers off. Her brother is very protective of her, but her mother seems to hate Danica. Aside from that, the princess is not really talked about at all amongst the court."

The Serapans absorbed the information in silence. At the end, they all appeared to be lost in thought. Zane, however, was staring thoughtfully at the Avins, Eleanor in particular.

Abruptly he asked, "Eleanor?"

She looked up at being addressed directly. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Do you know the princess?"

Eleanor shifted her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but Karl beat her to it.

"The Princess Danica and she used to be friends," Karl said, his voice tight with anger. "Then the princess tried to kill her. Eleanor was forbidden to see her after that."

Eleanor turned to Karl and said somewhat irritably, "He asked me."

Turning back to Zane, she said in a quieter voice, "My father has been one of the wealthiest merchants in Avin for twenty years. After the first ten years of success, he was given rooms in the White Palace. I hated it there because the nobles' daughters either did not want to or were not allowed to play with me. The meaner ones would harass me, and the nicer ones would ignore me. I was always hiding from them. Then I met the princess." Eleanor's eyes took on a distant look.

"When I first met her, I was lying behind a statue in a secluded part of the royal gardens trying to hide from a group of girls that were particularly cruel to me.

"While I was lying there with my eyes closed, I heard a voice ask, 'What are you doing?'

"Thinking that they had found me, my eyes filled with tears at the thought of the upcoming tortures. Instead, when I looked up, it was into the gray curious eyes of a girl I had never seen before. Even though a child, she was so beautiful my brain froze for a moment as I stared at her. Then I jumped up and took off running. I didn't stop when I heard her call, and I didn't look back.

"At last when I could run no longer and sank to the floor gasping, I heard that same voice ask, 'What are we running for?'

"I was so shocked I nearly fell over. I looked back and there she was, looking just as fresh as she had before and with the same eyes filled with curiosity. She repeated the question, but I just shook my head. When she frowned my first thought was that she was displeased and would be taking it out on me like the other girls. Panic began to well in me again.

Figuring there was no way for me to escape this time, I resigned myself to have to put up with whatever she wanted to do with me. Therefore, when she stood up, put her hands on her hips, and inquired, 'We ran for no reason?', I gave a resigned nod and braced myself.

'That's got to be remedied,' she said, and to my utter amazement turned on her heel and began walking back the way we had come. Noticing after a few steps that I was still sitting on the floor staring, she turned back with a puzzled look.

'Is something wrong?'

I shook my head dumbly.

'Then what are you waiting for? Follow me.'

It was a command, and I obeyed it without thinking.

Before long, we were lying close to the edge of the balcony of a school room used for teaching the noblewomen how to draw. It overlooked the part of the gardens that the court usually gathered in when the weather was nice. A young couple was sitting a foot apart directly underneath us. The minute she saw them, the girl shook her head and tsk'd quietly saying, 'That is against Mistress Hammon's teachings to aid young girls in protecting their virtue. Sitting so close together can lead to temptation to do many bad things that could ruin a lady's reputation. It is our duty to do whatever we can to warn that poor creature of the lascivious nature of the beast beside her.' So saying, she crawled back and looking around thoughtfully. As I watched in total confusion, she walked over to a vase of flowers and picked it up. Taking the flowers out, she laid them, dripping, into the arms of one of the many statues cluttering the room. Then she pulled a plain wooden box out of her skirt pockets and threw the powdery contents into the vase. Through the clear glass of the vase, I saw the water begin to turn milk-white. After she swished it around to make sure it was mixed, she crawled back to the balcony's edge. She peeked over and then dumped the water out and onto the couple. Immediately, she jumped back and to her feet, running and pulling me along with her.

Somehow I came to be in front, so I ran right into them. The girls that were the bane of my life immediately grabbed me to make sure I wouldn't be able to get away. They were started laughing and discussing what they should do with me. They were still talking when the girl caught up. The girls dropped jerked their hands off of me as if I had turned to fire. All of them looked at the girl warily. She, in turn, looked at them with haughty disdain.

'You will leave her alone from now on,' she commanded. 'If ever I hear that you tried to hurt her again, I will make sure you are punished.'

The girls bowed stiffly and said, 'Yes, Your Highness.' Then they left.

From then on, the princess and I were best friends. As I got to know her better, I found that she would pull lots of pranks like the one on the balcony. However, while she was lively, mischievous, and could be extremely bossy, she was also extremely kind and could not stand injustice."

Eleanor's face saddened. "Then her father died and her mother became regent. A month later, the princess doesn't show up at one of our play dates. I went looking for her in her apartments, but nobody would let me in to see her. The very next day, it was announced that she was being sent away for private schooling. I tried to send messages to her but could never find out where she was. The queen said it was for her own safety that no one knows where she is.

Seven years later, her brother, newly crowned, sends for her and she returns. For the first six months no one saw her except His Highness, a maid, and her newly appointed guardian. The king told the court that she had fallen ill on the journey from her school to the palace. When she finally came out, I went to see her.

Right away I could tell that she had changed a lot since we were children. She wore a veil and was quieter, more distant. We were standing atop a staircase when we met. After saying hello, I moved to hug her, but she pushed me, and I fell down the stairs.

The healers told me I was lucky that I hadn't broken my neck. She came to apologize later but left as soon as she was done. The news of the incident spread, and the people decided that that meant I was out of favor with the Princess and shunned me, too. On top of that, the king came to me privately and forbade me to ever see her again."

It was quiet for a moment. Then everyone began to ask questions about the rest of the Avins. Only Zane stayed silent, pondering the story told of the beautiful face that refused to leave his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day another thing happened that aroused his curiosity even more.

The meetings had not yet started and the Tigrin court mingled with both the Avins and the Serapans, but those two groups did not cross the room to enter the others' vicinity. Zane's two youngest siblings were playing tag with two Tigrin children. They got closer and closer to the other side of the room when, finally, Prince Nissain stumbled backwards into the Avin side and almost onto the princess' feet.

The tension in the room spiked.

Serapan guards started forward menacingly while the Avin guardians approached with warning in their eyes and the Tigrin's guards moved to intercept both of them. But before any of them even got close, the danger passed.

The princess looked down at the twelve year old, bent down, and gently helped him to stand. Then she inclined her head and the prince warily moved back.

Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Lady Korinald strode up to her daughter and, in front of the whole room, slapped her so hard the princess' head snapped to the side with the force of the blow.

"Filthy Serp lover!" Korinald hissed, her face transformed by unmistakable hate, as her and Kimsha guardian restrained her from attacking again.

Slowly, the princess raised her hand and touched her cheek. Just as slowly, she turned to face her mother fully.

As she stared into her mother's eyes, a smile spread across her features. It was emotionless, polite, and therefore all the more disturbing in Zane's opinion.

Turning on her heel, the princess approached Prince Nissain who was now surrounded by Tigrin guards. Brushing by them, she knelt in front of him and reached out to touch him. Once again, the Serapan guards began to rush forward, but Zane stopped them with a shake of his head.

Apparently ignoring everyone else, the princess placed her hand over Prince Nissain's heart and her other over her own. In a loud, clear voice she said, "By my heart's blood I swear to protect your heart's blood."

There was an audible intake of breath from the Avins. Zane glanced at them, taking in the looks of shock on some, disapproval on others, and the outright maliciousness on Lady Korinald's, before he returned his gaze to the princess and his brother. He himself was a bit confused as to what precisely had just happened, but he did understand that the princess had, for some reason, just sworn an oath of some sort and it upset the rest of her people.

The princess lowered her hands and stood looking at her mother. Her smile was still vague, but Zane noted that her eyes glittered with some undefined emotion.

The talks continued in spite of the incident. The only sign that there had been any altercation was that now the Lady Korinald sat sandwiched between two guardians.

"My kingdom has always maintained a state of neutrality in this war," opened the Tigrin monarch. "I have only broken this state and allowed both of you to use my palace because I have heard both of you have expressed a wish for peace."

He leveled a gaze at the two leaders. "The atrocities committed during this war have been the source of many horror stories in countries not involved. We have heard many tales of the merciless killings of civilians, the inexcusable rapes, and the mistreatment of prisoners. Such acts upset me, and they have not even been against my people. For you who have actually experienced such treatment it must be even worse. But looking back on the deeds of the past and blaming each other will only prevent you from moving forward. Therefore, I must have your word that from here on both of you will put the past behind you and not make any mention of wrongs committed by the other."

He waited until Kimsha and Zane nodded in assent before continuing.

"Now, while we adjourn for you to take care of your duties at home, consider what ways there are to bind your two peoples in such a way that will ensure cooperation. Even if you must consider a political marriage, I expect you to take whatever measures necessary to obtain peace."

With that, the first phase of the peace talks ended.

The day after their return to the capital, and Zane was already back to attending to his duties. At the moment, that meant sitting on the throne in the Hall of Law listening to petitioners. He had been at it all day and could hardly wait for the end. Looking at the number hung upon the post that listed the number of people still waiting to be seen, he was relieved when he saw that only one was left. Just as he had that thought, that one person entered and approached the throne.

Zane frowned as he watched the figure. There was something about this petitioner that caught his attention and put him on alert. Whoever it was wore a gray robe resembling that of the priestesses of Anhamirak's uniform, which was also gray and covered the clothes underneath and the skin and hair. But while the robe was the same color and design as that of one of Anhamirak's, it looked to be of fine quality silk; whereas, the priestesses only ever wore ones made of rough wool. Another indication that the person was not one of the religious order was the way the person walked. It was graceful, not the stride of a peasant, and it screamed of a life at court. No, this person was not a priestess. Zane wondered if it was even a woman that was walking towards him, head bent.

He studied the person covertly beneath a bored expression. As the figure bowed, he inclined his head for her to rise, at the same time signaling his guards to surreptitiously move closer. They were still a few meters away, when a fair-skinned hand emerged from the sleeves and pushed the cowl back. A hiss rose in the guards' throats and they converged on the woman without a second's hesitation. Zane just stared.

The Princess Danica was in his palace, in the heart of her enemies' territory, looking as composed as she had when standing on the neutral land of the Tigrins. Even as she was forced into a kneeling position, her beauty shone out and dared anyone to mar such perfection.

Zane shook himself mentally and glanced off to the side. Ordering one of the gaping servants there to call his family, his mind scrambled to come up with all of the possible ambushes the Avins could use such a ruse for.

When the rest of his family entered the room, he watched impassively while their expressions turned from questioning to shocked.

Then Zane turned back to the princess and raised his eyebrows as he said in a congenial tone, "Princess Danica. What a delightful surprise. But why didn't you enter through the gates? My men would have been happy to greet you."

The princess managed to curtsy in spite of the restraining hands of the guards. "Your majesty, King Zane, I apologize for disturbing you without previous warning. I had wanted to approach you in a more discreet setting but regrettably there was no other alternative."

Zane settled back, careful to keep his face neutral, "Oh? And what is so important that the dear Avin princess is sent into the serpents' nest? She doesn't even have her loyal guardian to watch her back." His eyes narrowed. "Or so it seems."

The princess studied him as she said, "At the Tigrin palace when the king officially ended the first meetings, he suggested that we think on ways in which we might be able to bring peace to our countries. Do you remember?"

"Ah, I see. So you came up with a brilliant idea that you just had to share with me. Is that it?"

She ignored the mockery in his tone and continued, "Do you remember the exact words he used?"

Zane scrunched up his face in exaggerated thought. "I believe he said something to the extent of, 'Consider what ways you can bind the two countries that will ensure cooperation,' or some such thing."

The princess' gaze didn't flicker. "Correct. But that is not all. He had also mentioned the possibility of a political marriage."

Zane nodded his head. "I believe he did mention that in passing. I assume that means you took his words literally and have brought the sacrificial lamb for me to look over."

"Indeed. The one I have decided would be the best choice is already here."

A moment passed.

Zane's eyes widened, "You mean to offer yourself?"

The princess regally inclined her head. "The only way our people will ever be stopped is by a royal marriage binding the two head families together."

Abeline, who had stayed by Zane's side, tightened the hand resting on her sword's hilt. "That's a ludicrous idea and not even worth a thought!" she snapped. "There is no way it would work."

"She does have an excellent point," Zane agreed. "What guarantee is there that our people will withhold further attacks just because we marry?"

"It shouldn't even be considered!" Abeline shouted angrily whirling to face Zane. "It would be a disaster just waiting to happen! She is an Avin! The ruler of Serapan cannot marry such filth!"

"I would willingly enter into such an arrangement," he replied calmly, still looking at the princess, "if it meant that we might finally end this pointless war. And that," he said, once again addressing the Princess, "is what you must convince me that we would be doing before I agree. Quite frankly, I am rather surprised that your brother even sent you here with such an idea, much less supported it."

"He does not support it," she responded calmly. "He does not even know about it and will only find out about it after the fact."

Zane's brows once again rose, "You are proposing to seal the deal without your brother's approval?"

She inclined her head.

"And what is going to keep him from renewing his efforts in the war, this time with the full support of the Tigrins, to take back his beloved sister? What, in fact, is going to keep him from disowning his sister and continuing with the fighting?"

The princess looked him right in the eyes as she replied, "My brother is not opposed the idea itself."

Zane allowed some puzzlement to show in his expression.

"He is not against the idea of a political marriage itself. What he is against is the idea of my marrying for this peace treaty." When his puzzlement didn't fade, she elaborated. "He does not want me to be the one to risk myself for the greater good of the country. He would be perfectly willing to let one of the other noblewomen of his court marry for it, just not me. However, one of the other noblewomen will not be enough. The two countries must bind the royal families. This way both peoples will be reluctant to attack lest they cause harm to one of royal blood which would be considered treason. Anything less will not work."

Zane nodded conceding that what she had said was true, though inside he was still shaking his head at the many possibilities of such a proposal backfiring. "And what of the possibility of his ignoring the marriage and continuing the war in retaliation?"

"My brother is not a fool. Once it is done, he will take advantage of the opportunity for peace."

"He still might privately disown you." Zane asked curiously, "You are willing to make such a sacrifice?"

The princess bowed her head and quietly said, "He will not disown me. He will be hurt, but he will still not disown me."

"You are also aware that if we are married, I expect you to fulfill _all_ your duties as my wife?"

She nodded without hesitation.

Zane was silent, contemplating the beautiful yet strangely fake princess of his enemy. Finally, he stood up and said to his guards, "Release her."

They did so at once, though seemingly reluctant.

"Very well," Zane said, "you have convinced me. How do you propose to go about this?"

While the rest of the people in the room gasped or shook their heads, the princess nodded and said, "I think that the marriage should take place right away. Right now if you can summon a priest to oversee the ceremony. Then I must return to Avin. When the second phase of the treaty talks continues in Tigrin, we will announce our marriage. After the first uproar dies down, we can arrange the terms of the peace treaty."

"Then you will return here and uphold your side of the bargain."

She nodded. "Then I will return here and be your wife."

Zane nodded his acquiescence, "So be it. Send for the priest."


	6. Chapter 6

"There is something I would like to know," Zane said abruptly to the princess as they stood just outside the entrance of the chapel.

The princess raised her head to return his look with polite question on her face. If she was wary of his sudden speech, she did not show it.

"I have heard many stories about you," he began, keeping his tone polite and pleasant. "I have heard that you were the sweetest child in all of Avin, and I have heard that you have had people whipped for not bowing to you properly. I have heard that you were completely incapable of hurting anyone when you were younger, and I have heard that you nearly killed your one time best friend. All of these stories I have heard consist of your time spent at the palace. It made me wonder, where did you have your 'private schooling'?"

Zane's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her. Was that a slight shifting in her stance? Had she inhaled a little bit sharply? He didn't know. If she had, then it had been for just an instant, and too short for him to have said for sure. Every time he had seen the princess, she hadn't had any expression. While she was here, yes, he could understand her keeping her emotions hidden, but Eleanor had said that she was always like that at the palace. Why was she so closed off?

The princess replied with a question of her own, "Why would you want to know such a thing?"

Zane heaved an exaggerated heartfelt sigh, "Because I would like to know something of the girl I am about to marry. And because if you are to be my queen I would like to make sure you will not treat my people similarly."

He waved his hand when she seemed about to protest. "Telling me that you won't doesn't mean much. I must know."

"I am here," she said, "and I am willing to enter into a marriage with you to bring peace to our two countries. I was the one that sought you out. Does this not at least show you that I am serious about peace? If I am going to such lengths for peace do you really think that I would then endanger that peace by being cruel to your people?"

Zane remained silent, waiting.

She remained silent, blank faced.

He had begun to think that he would have to reiterate his question, this time with a small threat attached to it, when she finally spoke.

"Cremont," she said. "The school's name was Cremont."

"I have never heard of a place called Cremont," he said hi eyes boring into her.

She raised her chin and met his gaze almost challengingly, "Would you have?"

One of his guards announced that the priests were ready, but still he stared into her eyes. After a beat a slow smile of concession spread across his face and he bowed. Then they turned towards the long walk down the aisle, where they would bind their warring lands, and where they would seal their fates.

Two hours later it was over.

The priests performing the ceremony had been in shock the entire time. Even now, they looked as if they were still wondering if they were not sleeping and this was all a dream.

'That would make it easier to keep their mouths shut,' Zane thought somewhat humorously. News of what had happened could not leak until the next peace meetings took place.

He shifted his attention to the princess, now his wife, standing at his side accepting the subdued congratulations of his family. She had just turned to him to speak when a voice rose above the murmured wishes of happiness.

"Please tell me you have not just done what I think you have."

She froze.

Instantly, Zane's personal guards had drawn their weapons and surrounded the lone figure standing at close to the entrance. Dressed in a black cloak with the hood pulled back and staring in weariness at the newly weds, the princess' guardian stood with a look of resignation on his face.

"Andreios," the princess said calmly turning towards him. "Has my disappearance been noted yet?"

"Only by Marin and me," he replied and shook his head. "He will not be happy about this," he said in a low voice.

"I am aware of that," the princess replied.

"He will also blame himself."

Her face saddened the first obvious change in her expression that Zane had ever seen. She bowed her head and whispered, "I know." Then, briskly she looked up and said, "It had to be done."

Her guardian didn't say anything, just stared at her.

The princess turned to Zane and said, "I must return while no one is as of yet aware of my absence. I will see you in two weeks at the peace meetings."

Zane nodded in farewell. Then he watched as his bride of a few minutes walked down the aisle to join her guardian and exit the chapel, leaving him standing by himself in front of the altar.

To the surprise of everyone he suddenly started laughing and said, "Well won't this be a lonely wedding night."


	7. Chapter 7

The second meeting was about to begin. The two parties entered the same way, looking the same way, and acting the same way, ignoring each other except for a few suspicious glances and hate-filled glares.

But underneath all the appearances, a new tension filled the gathering.

Not everyone understood it. Only those that had been privy to the secret wedding knew what it was about, understood the uneasiness of what was about to happen.

As Zane entered, he accidentally looked right into the General Wakar's eyes. The general turned a dark shade of purple and quickly ripped his gaze away. But there was no threat in Zane's eyes. He was the center of an emotional storm, quiet and calm. He understood what was about to happen, why it needed to happen, and what had been sacrificed on both sides to make it happen. He knew what their princess was willing to do for her country and it had affected his opinion of the rest of her people. That was why he no longer felt anger or hate towards the Avins. That was why they were safe from his gaze…for now.

The ambassadors opened with the customary speeches, but still Zane felt disassociated from it. He knew what was going to happen, and that even if it didn't work there would be no escape. Yet he felt a sense of calm and determination. He knew that this was the only course open to them. It was drastic, it had very little chance of succeeding, but it was the only one.

Both ambassadors finished and his was about to begin with yet another speech that would just reiterate what had been said before. It was time.

Zane motioned for Rind to attend him. When the older ambassador reached his side, Zane handed him a rolled up scroll and said, "Read this first."

Rind looked puzzled but walked to the front to do as told.

He unrolled it, cleared his throat, and began speaking in a loud, strong voice.

A hush fell over the whole assembly.

It was interesting, the changes in expressions that took place. At first, everyone wore the same barely polite expression as when they had listened to the preceding speeches. But as it continued, those looks of boredom fell away, some to be replaced by mild interest others with waking suspicion. When Rind reached the part stating what steps Zane had taken to advance the end of the war, he suddenly faltered, stopped talking, and turned to stare at Zane. Immediately, the underlying tension that had been there from the beginning of the meeting sharpened. People muttered worriedly to each other while several of the Tigrin guards readied themselves for action. Then Rind managed to find his voice again and finished reading.

Silence engulfed the entire room.

Then people erupted in a cacophony of protests and threats.

"You can't be serious!"

"How dare you-!"

"What trick is this?!"

The Tigrin king clapped his hands several times until some order had been restored. Then he turned to Zane and said, "Please explain yourself."

Zane stood up with a relaxed smile on his face, "It is exactly as my ambassador read it, Your Highness. The Princess Danica and I were married several days ago in my palace's personal chapel, successfully binding our two families together."

There was another wave of outbursts. Before anyone could discern themselves above the rest, the Avin king stood up cutting off their clamor. He turned to his younger sister at his side and asked quietly, "Is this true?"

For a beat there was silence as the princess didn't meet his gaze. Then rising abruptly, she glided around the table and stood in front of the whole assembly. She held her head high as she said, carefully avoiding her brother's eyes, "Yes, it is true."

"Look at me," Kimsha commanded in a firm but gentle tone.

Very reluctantly she did so.

Holding her gaze, Kimsha asked, "Why?"

Almost imperceptibly she raised her chin and replied, "It had to be done."

In silence they stared at each other.

Finally, Kimsha took a deep breath and said, "I, Kimsha Shardae, acknowledge the binding through marriage of my sister, Danica Shardae, to Zane Cobriana, King of Serapan."

'I'm sure everyone's' jaws have dropped by now and are now just too polite to show it,' Zane thought somewhat shocked himself. 'I wonder how the population at large will take the news.' He mentally shuddered. He and his new wife were going to have to be extremely careful in the coming days until the people were given a chance to get used to the idea.

Aloud he said blithely, "Now that our marriage has been officially acknowledged by both sides, we might want to settle certain matters right away."

In the end, they drew up a complete treaty. They both agreed to cease fighting at once. Prisoners from both sides would be transferred to the other. Willing businessmen would be able to open trade, so long as they knew and accepted the risks. Aside from that, both sides agreed to watch and wait. It would be good for approximately one year, then they would have to meet once again and draw up a new one.

When it came time to leave, Kimsha approached Zane and his sister. He stopped two feet from them, looking at his sister.

"I suppose I shall not be able to see you again for a long time," he said softly. The princess nodded.

"I do expect you to keep in touch," he said.

She nodded.

He addressed Zane. "I believe that my sister should be allowed to take her guardian with her and, of course, her maid."

Zane nodded in ascent.

Kimsha gazed at his sister for a few more moments before sighing and brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "Are you sure you will be all right?"

"King Zane has just agreed to allow me to take Andreios and Kel with me. They should be sufficient protection from anyone less than happy with the marriage."

'That isn't the response of a happy bride,' Zane thought with a touch of amusement. 'She doesn't trust her new husband to take care of her?' he thought cynically as she turned and met his gaze.

'Yes, this will be very amusing indeed, if she is not affected by my or any of my family's power.' His eyes narrowed at a sudden thought. 'Both of our families should have a special power. Mine is the controlling effect of the eyes, but what is hers?'


	8. Chapter 8

'Mine is the controlling effect of the eyes, but what is hers?'

That same question nagged him at the back of his head while they were on their way to the Serapan capital and the Green Jade palace, his home.

It would take two weeks to reach the capital of Serapan. A long time ago they would have traveled at an easy pace, stopped to rest at night, set up camp. A long time ago meaning before the war. Now, any time they were off of Serapan land they traveled without rest. There had been many times that an assassination had been carried out on neutral lands, and even with the new treaty, Zane believed it was always better to err on the side of caution since the treaty had not yet been formally announced to the population at large.

At the moment he was riding in the middle of the procession where his family was so that he could talk to his sister and ensure her comfort. She was heavily pregnant and due at the end of the month. The princess rode just a little ahead of his family's little group with her maid and her guardian. Zane observed her often trying to get a hint to her true character. After a short pause he spurred his horse to catch up and ride alongside her.

When he reached her she did not turn her head to acknowledge him, and they rode without speaking for a short while before Zane suddenly broke the silence.

"Tell me princess, your family has descended from the same people as mine, correct?"

"Yes," she answered. Zane frowned, this was not the first time he had tried to talk to the princess since the beginning of their journey, but she would always answer in monosyllables.

"Well then, your family would also have inherited a gift of the blood, would it not?"

"Yes."

Zane reigned in his impatience. "Curiosity is eating me alive. What is your power?" he asked silkily.

The princess turned to look at him. "Why?"

He faked a smile, "Come now, princess. We have a treaty now do we not? What would be the harm in telling me? You already know mine."

She continued to stare at him with her silver eyes. Then she settled back into the saddle and closed her eyes, seemingly relaxed as if to sleep.

She's not going to answer me? Zane thought his brows coming together. She does realize I'm not going to let it go at that, doesn't she?

At that moment, some of the people riding behind him gasped loudly, and one woman let out a shrill shriek. He whipped his head around and his eyes widened.

The princess was floating a few feet off of the ground. His eyes darted back to the horse beside him. The princess was there too. He returned his attention to the floating figure.

It was looking at him and said in the princess' voice, "Does this answer your question?"

He took a closer look at her. She was transparent! He could vaguely see his mother and his siblings through her. Then she dissolved, and he heard a soft sound from the figure beside him. He looked at her and raised a brow, "What precisely was that?"

"Projection," she said. "My family can project its 'spirit' out and travel to anyplace that it has been before and communicate with whoever is there. You must have heard that before any royal can ascend to the throne he must make a tour of the land. This is so that in times of crisis he will be able to communicate with the people there and see what is going on. We can also enter into another's body and control them to a certain extent but that person can kick us out at any time and it usually only works with people that do not have a strong 'spirit'."

"That must be especially useful during this war," Zane said in a neutral tone.

"Yes, it has proven very useful."

While Zane meditated on that, she pulled ahead of him, her guardian and maid followed. Abeline took her place.

"She is dangerous," she said. "She will be spying on us and passing the information on to her brother."

He glanced at his long-time guard and childhood friend. "That is very likely."

"You know and you don't care?"

"I wouldn't say that I don't care, so much as I'm saying that it is inevitable. She might really want the treaty, I mean she married her enemy to get it; however, that doesn't mean that she will lose her loyalty to her country just because she will now be part of another one. I would report to my brother if I were in her position."

Abeline shook her head. "I will be keeping a close eye on her. I still don't trust the filthy Avy princess not to try to murder all of us."

Zane turned to face her fully and said in a dangerously smooth voice, "Look me in the eye Abeline."

She stiffened at the command but did as he asked albeit slowly.

The minute he caught her gaze she went rigid and began to shake. Her lips drew tight and her face whitened. When she let out a slight whimper he blinked, and she slumped in her seat gasping for air.

He smiled and said, "Do not ever use such a slur again. Do you understand?"

She nodded still gasping for breath.

He sighed and glanced up ahead at the princess before saying, "This treaty doesn't have a very good chance as it is, and we need it, Abeline. It could be shaken with even the slightest discord. Our people will not take it well as it is. If they hear any of us speaking ill of it they will immediately rise against it. And that cannot happen. If the treaty is broken, it will not be by us. I will ensure that at any cost."

So saying, he again rode ahead to catch up to the princess.


	9. Chapter 9

They reached the capital late at night. They could have arrived sooner but Zane figured it would be best for the Avins not to be seen until he could make an official announcement. He was fairly sure that his peoples' reaction to them would not be very welcoming to say the least. As it was, the palace workers' response to their presence did not bode well.

The first ones to actually recognize the Avins for what they were were the grooms. As the group had clattered into the courtyard, they had come rushing out to help with the horses. However, as soon as the men began to approach the Avins, Andreios immediately spurred his horse in front of the princess's and her maid's. Unfortunately, this move brought the attention of not only the grooms but also the palace guards.

The minute that the Avins' presence became known, there arose a shout from the guards and the grooms instantly reacted like the trained soldiers they could also be. The ones attending to the royals' horses pulled them behind the rest, and the ones in front of the Avins dropped into crouching stances ready to fight bare-handed to protect their fellows.

Before the situation could escalate, however, Zane swung down from his horse and walked briskly in front of Andreios' horse.

Looking up at the still figure on horse-back with his sword drawn, Zane said brightly, "Apparently the differences between Avin and my country are bigger than I thought. These lads are what we call 'horse grooms'. They work with the horses. You see, sometimes some of us do not have the time to properly take care of our horses, so we hire nice strong young men, or women, to do it for us. Also, they help people with whatever trouble they might have. For example, when we stop somewhere, some people have trouble dismounting. This is where the grooms come in. They hold the horse's head so that the person can dismount easily. This is very useful when one has a spirited mount and is not used to controlling it yet. They are extremely useful. I can't imagine how any country with an army can do without them."

There was quiet after Zane finished with that little taunting comment. Nobody moved or spoke.

"Andreios," came the princess's quiet command.

Instantly Andreios sheathed his sword and dismounted nodding curtly to Zane.

"I always take care of the princess's and her maid's horses," he said turning to do so as he spoke.

"Ah, my apologies," Zane said unconvincingly apologetic. Then in a much sterner voice he said, "Might I suggest that from now on before going on the offensive and attacking my men for doing their job you consider telling them that you will do it?"

"Of course," Andreios said helping first the princess then her maid to dismount.

Zane turned to face his men that were watching the interlude with varying degrees of disbelief.

In a loud voice he addressed his men, "Please, as you were."

Looking at Lady Chassis he said, "Mother, will you please ask the steward to see about accommodations for _my_ _wife_, her maid, and her guardian? I must consult with the council of elders before I make the announcement to the people."

Lady Chassis nodded and turned to face the three with a pale complexion.

Zane walked off feeling slightly guilty. On the long trip to the capital none of his people had made any overtures to even talk to any of the Avins. All of them had in fact quite simply ignored them, and this could not be accepted. They were going to have to accept the fact that the Avins, and the princess especially, was now a part of them, and sooner or later they were going to have to have some interaction with her. So, as king and husband to the Avin princess, he was going to have to make his family set the example. He might as well start now.

The announcement went off without a hitch.

After Zane had talked with the council of elders, all of whom for some odd reason supported the match, he had told his aide that he needed to give a public declaration. Within a scant hour the majority of the populace was milling about in front of the palace waiting anxiously for whatever pronouncement the king was to make. When Zane had finally appeared and begun talking, all of the people had fallen silent. And when he had finished, they had been all abuzz yet nowhere near as rowdy as could have been expected.

'Of course,' Zane thought to himself as he made his way to his private chambers, 'judging by the expressions that I could see most of them probably think that I was joking.'

He strode into the luxurious apartments that were his rooms and went in search of the princess. He immediately found her with her maid in the sleeping room connected to his unpacking. When he entered, both of them stopped and the princess turned to face him while dismissing her maid with a nod. He watched the maid retreat to the servants' quarters that would house her and the princess's guardian. As the door closed behind her, she looked back at Zane, and he felt a slight frisson run down his back, and his mind sharpened. In all of the reports that Karl and Eleanor had given him and all the rumors that had managed to somehow cross the boarder, there was not any mention of the princess's maid. In every single report, she was only mentioned in the background, as an after thought. He didn't even know her name. Zane made a mental note to ask Karl or Jonathan, his spy master, to make a profile on her as he returned his attention to the princess.

She was looking at him with the blank expression that he was getting used to and a bit annoyed by. He shook his head in dismissal. He was tired and needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow he would be swamped with people trying to confirm what he had told them this morning, and he would need as much rest as he could get to deal with them.

Therefore, he asked, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

At her negative he began walking toward the door leading to his room and said, "Well then I shall see you tomorrow. Well then, tomorrow there is a lot we need to discuss, so I will leave you so that you can get some rest. Good night."

With that he closed the door and began preparing for bed preoccupied with all of the people that would have to be introduced to the princess tomorrow. As he began drifting off to sleep his last thought was that it was going to be very interesting seeing how the reserved and cold princess would deal with the wild and warm Countess Zareth.

Unbeknownst to him, the reserved and cold princess continued to stand where he had last seen her for several long minutes before sinking onto the bed and wrapping her arms around herself shaking.


	10. Chapter 10

o0o

The next day started early for Zane.

First he had to address the whole of the palace's staff, warning all that his new wife and her servants were not to be harmed on pain of death.

Second he had to consult with the military portion of the staff, instructing them to keep a sharp eye on the new additions to his household.

Third he had to meet with several petitioners, the majority of which just wanted confirmation of what he had announced the night before, reassuring them that he had indeed been telling the truth.

Finally, evening came and with it the time for him to begin introducing his wife to some of his court.

Striding impatiently to his chambers he nodded to the guards he had posted outside of his rooms for protection.

'Though whether for the people on the inside or the outside is the question,' he thought sardonically stepping into the room and immediately coming upon his wife. 'My _wife_. Now there's an odd thought.'

Looking her over he was once again struck by the thought that she really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. However, in Zane's opinion, her unemotional manner was like a bucket of cold water to any feelings of kindness or love that her beauty might have otherwise evoked. Shaking his head over his fanciful musings, he quickly swung back into action.

"Princess Danica," Zane used his most seductive voice to see how she would respond. "You are looking absolutely ravishing today."

With a straight face that many a man would envy at the card tables she said, "Thank you. Is it yet time for us to go?"

"Yes, beautiful one. It is now time for us to go."

Gracefully she glided to his side and took the arm that he held out for her.

Walking through the palace, outside through the courtyard, and beyond the gates, Zane couldn't help but notice the attention they were getting though he gave no hint of it. He nodded to those that he passed while making sure that there was no chance for any of them to do anything rash.

'Like attack me for my own good,' he laughed in his head thinking about how Abilene would agree that that would be a good plan.

He watched the guards ahead of and behind them, noting those that were keeping alert and marking them for permanent service.

Finally they reached their destination: the public gardens in Clovis district where his court was holding its noon festivities. The minute he and the princess appeared a hush fell over the nobles of Serapan, people cutting off their conversations mid-sentence. As they continued through them to the chairs by the lake the nobles, little by little, began to pick up where they had left off. After Zane and the princess were seated some of the braver nobles started to drift towards him to pay their respects. With a rising sense of anticipation of entertainment, Zane saw that just as he had thought the Countess Zareth was one of the first in line to scope out the Princess Danica.

Countess Zareth, a relatively young widow with five children, was one of the most influential people in Serapan. She was tall, beautiful, graceful, and extremely flamboyant. However, the flamboyancy could be excused because she was one of Serapan's best Sinu dancers.

Zane was still holding the princess' arm when the countess stepped forward, otherwise he never would have felt her suddenly stiffen. He glanced sharply at her, noticing her face had paled and a flash of what looked like pain cross her face before she noticed his regard and swiftly composed her face in the serene mask that he was beginning to realize was just that, a mask.

The countess smiled a warm and welcoming smile. Although her husband had been killed in the war with Avin she held no ill will towards them and had been ecstatic at the news of the marriage and included treaty.

After she had risen from her curtsy at the Zane's nod she said, "Serapan is honored by your presence, princess."

Zane nearly snorted at that statement and even the princess raised a stiff brow.

The countess grinned as if reading their thoughts and said, "Well I at least am honored by your presence, Your Highness." She boldly gave Princess Danica a once-over.

Zane groaned theatrically. "I know that look in your eyes, Zareth," he said in a long suffering voice. He turned to the princess, "As you may know, Princess, Serapan has a tradition of Sinu dancing, the ancient dances that tell stories or manipulate emotions. Countess Zareth here is one of the best dancers in Serapan and occasionally chooses some poor soul whom she deems worthy to teach. It appears that you are her next unfortunate victim."

"Poor soul? Unfortunate victim?" She laughed. "Oh, Your Highness, I don't know what you are talking about."

"Although I must say," she said turning to the princess with wide eyes that belonged on a puppy begging for a treat, "I would not be opposed to teaching Your Highness how to dance if she would wish it." The expression on her face was hopeful.

"I thank you," the princess said coldly. "However I have no wish to learn."

Both the countess and Zane looked at the princess with surprise, the countess at the coldness and Zane at the degree of coldness. After a short awkward silence, the countess made her farewells and the next ones approached. He felt the princess relax a bit and wondered why the princess held an obvious dislike for the countess that almost everyone adored.

'Maybe she's jealous,' Zane speculated watching her as more and more people approached to pay their respects. 'From what Eleanor said she used to be liked even more than the countess is.'

The last of the nobles came and went, and it was finally time for lunch. As he signaled to one of the servants to bring them some food, he noticed that the princess, who had been reclining gracefully in her chair watching the crowd in a classic bored royalty fashion, had sat up and was staring intently at something. When he followed her gaze he saw a young man.

Handsome and probably about the princess' age, the young man was walking quickly on the street that passed the park with his hands in his pockets and an almost wary expression on his face as he looked at the crowd gathered in the park.

Zane's gaze switched between the princess and the man and saw that the princess' attention didn't waver from the man until he was out of sight. Then she slowly sat back a thoughtful expression on her face and subtly jerked her head at Andreios, whom Zane hadn't noticed but known was there. Zane watched Andreios stealthily disappear before returning his gaze to the princess who was now staring back at him.

He politely asked her what she would like to drink and felt her release a silent breath before she answered. As he turned to tell a servant to fetch some green tea he felt a rage build up inside of him.

'So she thinks to have an affair with a _boy_ without having even fulfilled our marriage vows, hmmm?'

Plans began to churn through his head while he pushed away the questions of why he wished the _boy_ would come back so that he could make him torture himself in the slowest possible way and why he himself hadn't fulfilled the marriage vows last night.


	11. Chapter 11

o0o

"Oooohhh, it's so pretty!" the high pitched giggly voice said somewhat breathlessly.

"Of course," said a gravely deeper voice. "Pretty girls should only wear pretty things."

"Oooohhh, thank you, thank you!"

Kenneth tried to block out the annoying giggles, rough guffaws, and the petting and touching coming from the opposite side of the store while he carefully measured out the precious powder from one bowl to the other.

Suddenly the gravely voice grew louder as it barked out a command. "Hey, Runt! Don't use so much of that bladderwort. It cost me a fortune and I don't want you wasting all of it on just one medicine."

"Yes, _sir_."

The subtly insulting emphasis was wasted on the Brick Beetle as he turned back to the pale scrap of self exalted scullery maid that was "visiting".

Kenneth knew that in a few minutes the Brick Beetle would begin pulling the girl into the room at the back of the Twisted Bottle. He knew what would happen and he had no desire to be anywhere within twenty feet of the shop. He also knew that that would be his signal to slip out of the shop for a few hours. Only once had he made the mistake of actually staying in the shop and he had no wish for a repeat experience. Reluctantly he did as the Brick Beetle ordered and removed some of the bladderwort from the potion for bloodfever that he was trying to make.

Bloodfever, the most dangerous disease known and yet no one knew how it had come into existence. Mostly found in the battlefield and in the slums, the disease spread through the exposure of infected blood. A fleck of blood from a person, a cut from a weapon not thoroughly cleaned, or a breath in a room that has it is all it would take for a person to catch bloodfever. At first they wouldn't feel any different. Then as the disease began to poison the blood they would start to get the shakes. After a few hours they would get a high fever in which they would begin to sweat blood. There was only one medicine that could cure it and even then it wasn't a guarantee and it would only cure it if it was caught in the earliest stages. The medicine was also very expensive as it contained bladderwort which was why the Brick Beetle didn't want him using all of it up in one batch of medicine, though it really required a lot more bladderwort than what the Brick Beetle had gotten and the bladderwort should also have been a lot fresher; but even with what little was in there the medicine would sell for a very hefty price. Only the rich could afford it and they bought all of it for their children that went into battle leaving nothing for the lower classes.

'Of course that's always the way of things,' Kenneth thought bitterly. 'The upper class never leaves anything for the ones beneath them.'

With that thought he noticed that the Brick Beetle and the girl had begun moving towards the back room and Kenneth began to finish up to leave as quickly as possible. He managed to get out of the shop before it was too late and began making his way toward the public parks of Clovis district in Firefly City, the capital and the city surrounding the Green Jade Palace.

Threading his way through the crowd outside, he noticed, as always, the general cleanness of the streets, the almost sweet smell that permeated the air, and, of course, the wealth that literally dripped from every tree and balcony.

It was that last observation that put a bitter taste in his mouth.

Firefly City, so named because the lights of the city twinkled like fireflies all year round, was the largest city in Serapan and was divided into over twenty districts consisting of several miles of land and several thousands of people. Out of all of them, Clovis was the best, reserved for the rich and the nobles of the land; and Broken Tree was the worst, reserved for criminals and outcasts.

Kenneth had been born in Broken Tree.

Walking quickly Kenneth shook off his thoughts as he neared one of the public parks closest to the palace. He slowed down when he saw the gathering of nobles congregating there.

Blowing out a frustrated breath at having one of his favorite hangouts being taken over by the rich and having to go somewhere else, he paused for a split second to consider whether or not it would be safer to turn around and go a different route rather than risk catching any of the nobles' interest. Disgustedly he shook himself at his cowardly thoughts and started walking again. Nevertheless, he kept careful watch on them as he passed. He swept his gaze over the scene, making sure to not let his gaze linger on any one person for too long, and nearly had a heart attack.

In the midst of the glittering birds dressed up in silks and satins sat the king. Yet it wasn't even the king that caused Kenneth to feel such shock but the beautiful woman at his side.

'So that's the Avin princess, huh?' he thought as even with the shock he moved his eyes on to someone else. 'Well isn't the king lucky.' He looked out of the corner of is eye to surreptisously catch another glance at her. She almost appeared to be looking directly at him. Kenneth slid his attention to the king and nearly took off running. 'I knew I shouldn't have come this way,' he thought when he saw that the king was looking from him to the princess at his side with a polite look on his face that Kenneth immediately interpreted as bad news for him.

In Kenneth's opinion, getting in between a man and his wife was bad, getting in between a nobleman and his wife was stupid; but getting in between the king and his new wife, who was also one of the country's enemies, was suicidal. Even being thought to have done so was not a very good situation to be in. And Kenneth wasn't so naïve as to think that it was impossible for him to have caught one of the noblewomen's eyes. Indeed, it had happened before with nearly fatal results to Kenneth. Which is why he picked up his pace as much as he could, stopping just short of all out running, to get out of there sight.

He thought back to some of the gossip that he had heard.

The arrival of the Princess Danica of Avin and her two servants the day before had effectively pushed everything else aside and become the major source of gossip. Some of the rumors however bordered on the absurd.

Stories abounded of how the princess and her brother had taken their father and eaten his body to gain their strength. Among others it was told of how the princess had killed her ladies in waiting and that's why she didn't have any now.

'Only a handful of them probably have any truth to them though,' Kenneth thought as he finally turned the corner at the far end of the street moving out of sight of the park with the huge warning sign that only he could see. 'Only the servants in the highest positions even have any contact with them and they would never be so foolish as to spread the slop that's going around. Still, Avin or not, I'm sure that they have some dirty secrets that will get out,' he thought striding in search of another place to relax for a few hours before heading back to the store and thinking back to the scene in the park.

'Ah well. So long as I don't have to deal with her.'


	12. Chapter 12

Hey there. Long time no see or talk to ne? Sorry about that. I have been.........busy is a little bit too light of a word. But whatever. I'm back now and am going to try to finish out this story and maybe even start a new one. Who knows? Oh yeah and I have also decided that I have turrets (I'm positive that I spelled that wrong but am too lazy to look it up).

Early the next day found Kenneth again behind the counter of the Broken Bottle just finishing washing his hands in the basin of water kept off to the side when the front door opened. He looked up to greet the customer and froze.

'Did I curse myself?' Kenneth thought wildly recalling his last thought when he had seen the princess the day before.

Surreptitiously moving closer to the door that led to the back of the store and another door to the outside while slowly wiping his hands on the back of his pants he politely asked, "How may I help you, sir?"

"Relax, boy," said the huge muscular deadly looking man in an amused voice. "I don't know what it is you think I'm going to do to you, but I won't."

The man eyed him in a way that wasn't very reassuring.

When he saw that Kenneth was still staring at him warily he grinned and said, "You don't look like much."

Kenneth really didn't know how to take that response so he just continued to stare at the man. The man sighed.

"What's your name, boy?"

"My name is Kenneth, sir," he said cautiously.

The man's gaze sharpened. "What's your last name?"

Kenneth's chin jerked up in defiance at the old feelings that the question evoked. Bastards didn't have a last name.

"My name is Kenneth," he repeated challengingly.

"Hmmm. So I see."

'He's laughing at me,' Kenneth thought incredulously his eyebrows rising. While in Broken Tree district his bastard state was not only accepted but commonplace and people not born bastards were the ones few and far between, he had always felt the sting of it more than his fellows.

His mother was like a jewel in the midst of refuse. Unlike the people around her she had had a certain type of innocence that was at odds with where she lived. Even as she had grown up she had still retained some of that innocence. However, she had also been extremely beautiful, which had caused her to be noticed by a wealthy nobleman that had been passing through the slums. She had immediately fallen in love with him and, supposedly, he with her. He had taught her everything a woman of his class should know and she had excelled at the lessons. However, his family hadn't approved of them and refused to allow them to marry. His mother still ended up having him. Because she knew that if his birth had been known by her lover that he would insist upon marrying her regardless of his family's wishes, she had hidden him from her lover. And his younger brother. And then his younger sister. And finally his youngest brother. Then one day her lover had married someone of his own class and stopped visiting. His mother had fallen heartbroken and taken her own life when he was only four. He had had to take care of his younger siblings, and he had never forgotten the man that had abandoned his mother or what class he had come from.

He shook his head. He was now sixteen and had taken good care of his siblings in one of the worst districts in the entire capital. Not even many grown men could do that even if they had wanted to. However, he knew that just succeeding in the slums would not be enough to let his brothers and sister to live a good life. Especially his sister that was rather frail and fell ill almost every month. That's why when he had seen an advertisement for a job as an assistant in an apothecary he had jumped on it even though it was right outside the palace gates, often worked with the palace healers, and was frequented by the people he hated the most. He didn't have any problem with the work because his mother had been teaching him how to read since he was two and had left all of the books that her lover had left her for him when she died. Although Kenneth was disgusted by the fact that they were from him, he had still kept them so that he could learn from them. He had also taught his siblings everything that was in them. To Kenneth the apothecary was just a stopping off place on his way to the top. He wanted to become a doctor. Originally he wanted to be a healer but when he had gone to the healers at the age of eight to see if he had the healing gift they had told him no. He still hadn't given up though. If he couldn't be a healer then he would be a doctor. However, he had to make it there first. And here in the Clovis district where it was almost unheard of, to be born a bastard was a horrible curse and the usual response of people to bastards, be they actual noble or servant, was disdain. He had been expecting much the same from this man.

That the man hadn't reacted the way that Kenneth had anticipated made Kenneth all the more wary of him.

The man sighed again, "I can see that you are going to be a lot of trouble."

'The feeling is mutual.'

Don't hurt me daddy please!!!! Oh, I'm so sorry. Am I back on already? Very well then, how did you like it? It was pretty bad wasn't it? Well excuse me for needing to work at it still. Why don't you just review and say it to my face? Ciao.


	13. Chapter 13

**A month had passed since the treaty had been drawn up and taken effect.**

'**Only a month and already a month,' Zane thought as he flipped through some reports on the much quieter situation with the boarder.**

'**That's good,' Zane thought to himself.**

'**I'm glad that something is improving,' he thought sardonically as his attention turned to the still figure seated beside him.**

**He had insisted that every day his wife be present for the petitions of his people. It served two purposes. One his people would get used to seeing her. Two it kept her in sight for a period of the day. Although he had not seen any other signs of prospective infidelity, there were no signs of her warming up enough to him to even start thinking about a heir either. They were at an impasse and Zane didn't know how to get out of it. She had set a schedule for herself it seemed and she stuck to it diligently.**

**Even now as the last petitioner of the day left, the princess stood up and made her way to the exit with her guardian and made trailing close behind.**

**Zane let them leave without saying a word. He still hadn't gotten any more information on neighboring country.**

**So preoccupied did he become pondering the relation between the princess and her maid, he nearly didn't notice Andreios until before he ran into him. Immediately the two men jumped to put more space between them, each naturally choosing a fighter's stance.**

**Zane was the first one to relax saying, "Isn't this a bit pointless? Neither of us really wants to do anything that would endanger the fragile thread of peace that we have attained so far."**

"**And what makes you so sure of that, Your Highness?" Andreios asked in the bland tone that the princess usually used and was really starting to make Zane angry. "Just because my mistress married for peace doesn't necessarily mean that I wanted it. Nor her brother approving of it. There are many good people that I know of that are dead because of you and your kind. I have good reason to hate you."**

"**This is true," Zane replied pretending to think about it. "Except you could have killed me a long time ago. In fact you could have killed me right now."**

**Andreios was silent for a long time. Then he smiled and said, "Luckily the princess has ordered me to leave you unharmed."**

**The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then Zane looked sideways in thought.**

"**You really are loyal to her, aren't you?" Zane said watching Andreios out of the corner of his eye to see his reaction.**

"**Why?" Andreios asked.**

**When Zane didn't elaborate Andreios sighed and asked, "What do you know about me?"**

**Zane thought before answering slowly, "I know you are twenty-eight years of age. I know you were born a younger son to a poor Avin family. At the age of six, you were sent to begin training to be a guardian; at twenty, you became renowned as the best; and at the age of twenty-four, you became the personal guardian to the Princess Danica when she first returned. To all reports you do not have much of a life outside of your service to the princess. There haven't even been any reports of an aquaintance with any lady friends." Zane paused, thinking, before finishing, "That is all I know."**

**Andreios nodded as if that was what he had expected to hear. "Correct. Because that is all there is to know."**

**Andreios raised his head and met Zane's eyes. "However, that is only knowledge that a spy could have given you, and there is so much more to the story than that."**

**Now it was Andreios' turn to pause, thinking. His eyes turned reflective as he began to speak. "When I began my training as a guardian, I had decided that I would become the best and serve the king. Throughout all my years of training, that was the one goal I focused on and that was the one thing that sustained me. Because of this, I became a bit arrogant. People began to call me the best, and I expected the king to summon me and make me one of his guardians. I figured that he would want the best to guard him, and I was the best. So when I was summoned to the palace, I thought that I was finally going to be assigned as one of his guardians. But when I arrived, instead of being escorted to one of the ceremonial rooms, the king met me in one of the side chambers in the living quarters of the nobles. He greeted me and told me that I had come to his attention from some of my more impressive feats. He said that after looking at my history and much deliberation he had decided that I was the guardian he had chosen. I, of course, responded enthusiastically. But again, he surprised me. Instead of preparing for the ceremony, he told me to follow him.**

**He led me through the palace until we entered the tower of the west wing. No one had occupied that tower for years because it was so far away from the rest of the palace. His Highness led me straight to the top.**

**The chambers that we entered were mostly bare, but it was obvious that someone had moved into those apartments recently. There were cushions piled in one corner of the room, and the doors leading into the individual bed chambers were open revealing beds in two of the three rooms. The occupants of the chambers were standing in the outer chamber.**

**Marin, though I didn't know her at the time, was standing in the doorway of the middle room. She was watching the other occupant.**

**My first glimpse of the Princess Danica was of her back. She was a sickly slim figure dressed in a dark red silk dress staring out of the large windows. On the floor scattered around her was the glass from the windows.**

**The king glanced at Marin before making his way to the princess' side, avoiding the glass on the floor. He bent down to whisper in her ear. At his words she turned around and looked right at me.**

**I had heard stories about the princess but had only paid a small amount of attention to them. The stories about her creating the new fashion of wearing veils were one of the few stories that I had retained. What surprised me was that while most of the noblewomen had taken up the fashion, they only wore it every now and then. They might wear it for the first half of a party and take it off and leave it off for the rest. Not only that, but they would never wear them in private. But the princess was wearing the veils even now that she was by herself.**

**She didn't say a word or even make a movement. I couldn't see any other distinctive features or remember any other stories about her. The only thing I knew was that she was the Princess Danica, sister to my king, and I was about to be made her personal guardian. The king didn't even have to tell me; I knew.**

**I knew, and I hated it.**

**I was the acknowledged best guardian in the entire kingdom, and I was about to be bound to the newly returned, obviously spoiled princess. But my king was asking me to do this, so how could I refuse?**

**The ceremony was performed right then. I knelt down right there, surrounded by glass and said the words that would bind me until death. When the time came for the Princess to say her part, her voice was so quiet I could barely hear the words. But I remember that, for some reason, her voice made me feel sad.**

**Marin had a look of relief on her face.**

**When the ceremony was over and the king about to depart, he took me aside and told me, "No harm must come to her. Even if you have to protect her from herself, I expect you to take care of her."**

**Then he was gone, and I was left, too resentful yet to ponder his words further.**

**The minute he was gone, the Princess retreated to her room. The maid cast me one glance, I found out later it was of pity, before following her mistress and closing the door.**

**I took my stuff and settled into the last unoccupied room. After I had unpacked all of my clothes and weapons and stored them in the closets. Then, I began to unpack my more miscellaneous items.**

**When I pulled out my shaving mirror, someone from my doorway said, "Mirrors are not allowed in the princess's chamber."**

**I turned and there stood Marin inspecting me.**

**I turned back to my unpacking and asked harshly, "Why? Because the Princess will break them the next time she throws a tantrum?"**

**Before I even knew that she had moved, Marin had kicked me in the knees and was standing over me when I fell with her foot resting on my neck. Her face, which had been friendly before, was now cold.**

"**I can understand that you do not want this position," she snarled. "But be careful of what you say about the princess. I will not tolerate you upsetting her in any way."**

**After staring into my eyes for a minute, she removed her foot and let me get up.**

"**The Princess does not like mirrors," she said her face still cold. "She does not like glass, metal, or standing water. Be sure that you do not allow any of these things lying around."**

**With that she left me.**

**Time passed, and we grew accustomed to each other. I kept up my practice, and she began to trust me a little bit more, though I didn't know it at the time. Everything was going fine.**

**Then, I witnessed her first fit.**

**The princess had been receiving lots of gifts from admirers, mostly fortune hunters and sycophants. She usually opened all of them, sent a letter of thanks to the person, then gave the item away or sold it.**

**One day, one of her admirers gave her a little mirror that was handcrafted. It was a beautiful piece of workmanship, but the minute she saw it, she threw it against the wall and began to cry, completely distraught."**

**At this Zane looked at Andreios in disbelief. Andreios just smiled and said, "I know it's hard to believe but it is true."**

"**Marin rushed in and took care of her. Later, when the princess was asleep, Marin told me that the she did that every time she could see her reflection, whether she was veiled or not. I asked her why, and she just shrugged and smiled sadly.**

**That is when she earned my complete and utter loyalty."**

**Andreios stopped and his eyes came back into focus. He looked at Zane and said, "The princess hasn't had a fit in a long time. She can even handle seeing her reflection, though she doesn't like it. She is a very sweet girl, and I will kill any who would try to harm her."**

**With that he nodded and began walking down the hall again.**

**Zane called after him, "What about her maid?"**

**Andreios paused and looked back over his shoulder at Zane and said, "I would advise you to leave her alone as well."**

**Zane stared after him until he turned the corner. Then he grinned. He recognized a warning from one male defending his mate from another.**


	14. Chapter 14

It had to be a dream.

This was too good to be true. And when things were too good to be true that usually meant that they weren't.

For the first time in his life Kenneth had a place to stay that was not just safe but literally in the lap of luxury. Not only that but he was also able to take care of his brothers and sisters. He didn't even have to do anything illegal to do it. The fact that he was learning what he'd always wanted to do was just that much more to disbelieve.

'I wonder if it would be considered unhealthy for me to want to keep on living in this dream world knowing that it is a dream world,' he thought to himself as he walked towards the herb gardens of the palace where he always had his lessons.

He felt a jolt of shock when he realized that it had been over three months since he had come to the palace after having talked to the princess' guardian, Andreios. Since then he had met the princess too. And while he was coming to like and respect the guardian, the princess was a different story. She was a very difficult person to read.

That was his last thought before he walked into the entrance of the gardens themselves. There, waiting for him, was not just the princess but Andreios and Marin.

The minute the princess saw him she asked, "When was the last time that you have been out into town?"

Kenneth frowned trying to think. Since this little dream had begun he had spent very little time out in town. He had been permitted to move his siblings onto the palace grounds and all of his free time had been taken up studying so it had almost been three months since he had last left the palace grounds.

Before he could tell the princess that however she moved on. A horrible fire is burning its way through the Broken Tree district right now. It hasn't been reported to the palace yet because it is doesn't appear about to spread to any of the other districts just yet. However, there are currently a lot of people that have been injured so far and probably more to come.

She turned to face him.

"Now you will be given a chance to practice some of the skills that you have learned."

They left in such a hurry that no one saw the little figure that stepped out from behind one of the bushes

It was about an hour before the evening meal when a messenger finally reached Zane with the news that his sister was in labor. Without waiting for more news he rushed to his sister's apartments and opened the doors to chaos.

His whole family was there as were there bodyguards and Lady Zareth and the palace's three chief healers and in an instant he knew that something was wrong. For a birthing even of a royal baby there was no need for three healers.

Mikal, the best of them, stepped forward to address Zane.

"We can't save her or the baby," Mikal said his face pale and drawn. "Your sister went into birth this morning. She has internal bleeding and she is weakened from such a long birth. The baby is not turning and the umbilical cord is wrapping around its neck. Even if it was in position, she is in too much pain to push, and the baby looks like it has sustained some injuries."

The healer took a deep shuddering breath and said, "They are both lost."

"Noooo!" Nissain screamed fighting to get to his eldest sister.

Geoffrey held him back though his face looked stricken at the news his wife and unborn child would die.

"You must heal her! You can't let her die!"

The healer looked at the screaming boy and shook his head sadly. "I am sorry, child. But no one is skilled enough to heal her now. She is lost."

Nissain kept struggling against Geoffrey's restraining hold and crying. Suddenly, he stopped and a strange look came into his eyes. He swung about and ran out of the room as he cried, "I won't let her."

The rest of the people watched him leave without trying to stop him. They were too lost in shock and grief at the news that the Princess Saralee was dying.

Danica was jolted awake by someone pounding on the door.

At first she had to fight the disorientation she always got when she first woke up. When she was finally able to fight off the nightmare that she lived with every day since being sent away she recognized the noise that had awoken her.

Hurriedly she got out of bed and stumbled unsteadily to answer whoever it was. She was still weak and dizzy from the day's activities and could not see straight. When she opened the door she was too tired to even be surprised to see Nissain standing there with wide, frightened eyes.

Nissain started talking immediately.

"My sister, you have to help her!" he said panic in his voice. "Please, you have to help her. Mikal says she is going to die."

"Hold on," Danica said coming awake at the word "die". "Tell me what has happened."

Nissain took a deep breath before saying in a rush, "Saralee went into labor a while ago. The healers say that something went wrong and now she's bleeding on the inside, and the baby is positioned wrong, and both of them are going to die because no one has the skill to heal them. But I know you can save her. I was in the herb gardens and followed you into town. And I know you were the one to save Gregory because I saw you today. So please, please save her! I'll do whatever you want, just please save her!"

Danica held up a hand to stem the flow of words pouring out of the boy in his fear.

"Where is she?"

"In her chambers. She was eating breakfast when the pains began."

"Alright," Danica said calmly. "I need you to go to the healer trainee's dormitory and wake up a young lad named Kenneth. Bring him to your sister's chambers."

Without waiting for an answer Danica ran down the hall. On the way, she passed several people: servants, guards, and nobles. She ignored their startled cries and shocked looks and ran on.

She knew she had reached the right chambers when she heard sobs. Without pausing she threw the door open and rushed inside. Zane and his family and the Countess Zareth were gathered in the room crying and hugging each other trying to give comfort. She only caught a glimpse of their puzzled and shocked looks.

Danica ignored them too and raced to the bed chamber where she guessed Saralee was.

Throwing open the door, her first glimpse of the room made her shout, "Stop!" and fling herself at the figure bending over the princess' limp body.

Mikal and the healers had been about to kill the princess to spare her any further pain.

Danica pushed the healer off to the side and sat down on the bed grasping Saralee's face in between her hands and immediately sinking herself into the struggling body. The healer she had pushed away began to make outraged sounds while Mikal's gaze narrowed as he stared at the two Princesses. Zane and the others had followed her into the room and were looking back and forth between the healers and the Princesses in confusion.

Mikal's eyes widened and he said in shock, "She has the healing gift!"

"What?" Gregory exclaimed.

"That's not possible," Abeline began.

"Are you sure?" Chassis asked.

They all started talking at once, but it was Geoffrey's voice that drowned them out when he asked, hope daring to enter his voice.

"Can she heal her?"

Mikal shook his head, never taking his eyes of off the two figures.

"I do not believe so," he said. "The Princess Saralee's wounds are beyond the skill of any but the best healers. And the Princess Danica's healing aura is weak. However, it is also…"

He groped for the right word. "Different. I do not know if it is because the Avin's aura is different period, or if it is the princess's own healing aura that is odd."

"If she can't save her, then we must separate them," one of the other healers broke in angrily. "If she keeps on trying to heal her, then Princess Saralee will just keep on feeling pain."

Geoffrey's shoulders slumped as he moved to separate the two. At that moment, there came a noise from the parlor that everyone had just vacated. The Prince and Kenneth burst into the room. Kenneth immediately moved to his mistress' side while Nissain remained in the doorway.

Kenneth approached the Princess calling in a loud voice, "Your Highness? Your Highness?"

Danica stirred slightly and blinked though her eyes retained their glazed look.

"Kenneth?" she queried in a distant voice. "How is your power level?"

"It is not at full strength, but it should be enough. I was able to get a lot of sleep. And you?"

Danica gave a slight shake of her head. "I am still drained, but if we work together, we might be able to do it. You have not been able to merge yet?"

"No."

"Very well, Healer Mikal will have to help you with that part while you heal her."

Kenneth bit his lip. "I am not sure I can do this."

Danica said, "Healer Mikal will be helping you. Enough procrastination. It has to be now. When I give the signal you must begin to heal her."

Kenneth nodded and moved to touch Saralee asking at the same time, "Healer Mikal? Will you please assist me?"

Mikal responded to the question without even thinking. He moved to place his hands on the boy's shoulders.

As soon as he was ready, Kenneth closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and plunged into the Princess's body. He moved into position and waited for Princess Danica's signal.

Danica inhaled deeply and merged with the Princess's aura. Pain racked her body, but she held on and sent Kenneth the signal.

Kenneth began his healing with Mikal aiding him.

The rest of the people in the room were quiet, waiting with bated breath for they knew not what.

Zane was feeling dazed. At the moment, his sister was about to die, and yet he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Danica. Ever since she had first rushed into the outer room he had barely been able to focus on anything else but her. She had looked wild with her hair flowing down her back and her eyes looking ferocious. She was wearing nothing but her shift, and yet she hadn't been the least self conscious about it yet. Now she was sitting on the bed with her eyes closed and sweat beading on her forehead and she was still beautiful. This was also the first time that he hadn't seen her in full control of herself.

What felt like hours passed when Mikal moved to the end of the bed just in time to receive a little baby boy. He quickly cut the umbilical cord and washed the fluids from the baby's nose, mouth, and eyes. Flipping it around, he gave it a swat on its backside. At the harsh contact to its sensitive skin, the baby let out a lusty wail that moved through the room like a breeze through long-still sails.

Everyone felt immense relief and joy that at least one of the pair had made it.

Geoffrey stumbled forward, and Mikal handed the baby to him. Everyone was silent as he hugged the newborn to him. He held the child tenderly, but with sorrow. Chassis went to his side and half-hugged him in a futile offer of comfort. They would be celebrating the birth of a royal cousin but also the death of a royal Princess.

Then, suddenly, there came a deep sigh from the bed. Saralee turned her head to look at her husband and baby and smiled. It was weary, and it was small; but she smiled.

Geoffrey choked and lurched to the bed still holding the baby with care. He fell on the edge of the bed and started sobbing in relief.

Chassis and her family all let out little cries of joy. Lady Mirtha and her family beamed like little rays of sunshine. While they all really began to feel the spirit of joy that comes with the birth of an already much loved child, they began to converge around the bed. Mikal and Kenneth tried to make way for the family by collapsing in the chairs closest to the bed.

Before anyone could really say anything Andreios burst into the room looking around wildly. With a cry he rushed towards the still figure lying forgotten off to the side of the bed.

Only then did the people notice Princess Danica half lying half sitting on the bed looking like death.

Zane followed Andreios and moved to her side swiftly and bent over her. While Andreios cradled her in his arms, Zane gently touched her cheek saying with a low urgency, "Danica. Danica!"

"Who let her do this?" Andreios was nearly shouting. "Who let her use her gift without letting her recover properly from this morning? She has practically drained herself!"

Zane ignored him as he very carefully took the princess from Andrios' arms. Very gently he held her whispering her name over and over again.

Everyone let out a collective breath when finally Danica moved her head. Slowly she raised her head to look at Saralee and the baby. She nodded and made a feeble attempt to push away from Zane, but she fell back, too weak to support herself.

"I can walk by myself," she said in a voice that was steeped in exhaustion.

Zane looked down at her with a half smile on his face and said, "Obviously."

Then he smiled tenderly at his sister and left the room with Danica in his arms.


	15. Chapter 15

o0o

**The specters were back. With eyes that held only hate and blame, they crowded around her. There had been a time, when they had first started appearing, that Danica would have panicked, getting close to insanity; but now she knew that all she could do was wait for her subconscious to be replaced by her consciousness. She hoped she would wake up soon or that Andreios or Marin would know to wake her up. It had been awhile since she had been visited by the nightmares, but she was pretty sure they still checked on her. At least she hoped so.**

**One of the apparitions brushed her cheek and she felt it like a freezing cold slap knowing that more were to follow. Right now they were just demanding her attention. As always.**

**Bracing herself she faced them head on as she had always forced herself to do. It's not that it made it easier, but at least this way she didn't feel such a coward. Slowly, each and every single one of the shadows with familiar faces slightly skewed began to howl at her. In that howling she heard the accusations, the begging for help, the last moments of their death. Something wet began to slide down her face causing them to become even more frenzied. She knew that crying just made it worse but as always, she couldn't help herself. Suddenly, the ones directly in front of her began to move to the side for one approaching alone.**

**No. She couldn't take this. She was never able to take this one. This one figure that was enough to bring her to her knees stopped right in front of her and reached out what was once a hand to raise her head so that Danica had no choice but to look at its face. Even if she had closed her eyes in this dream, the face of the father she had loved so dearly would have still shown in her mind's eye. The father that night after night made her remember everything. And that's when the nightmare really began.**

**Time ceased to mean anything. It never did when she was being visited. It was always the same except usually with more and more people being added. That knowledge still didn't make it any easier. Eventually, she began to drift in a state of insanity, no longer knowing what was real and what was part of the dream. She couldn't even remember if what was the dream was based off of reality or if it was just created by her own tortured mind and the ramblings of Father Cremont.**

**The voices must have been there for awhile before Danica actually recognized them for what they were. When she did, she clutched at them with weak desperation. Slowly, ever so slowly, they began to drag her back to reality and consciousness. She had no clue what they were saying or whose they were, but at that moment, neither of those things mattered. All that did was that they were pulling her out of the mire of her own mind. She could tell that it was only going to be a brief respite though because already she could feel herself being sucked back under. She had just enough time to open her eyes and see two distorted faces when they shut again. With the last bit of her strength, she managed to get out, "The mirrors-" Then she slipped back into the darkness where the howling accusations of the ghosts consumed her once again.**

**"What did that mean?" Zane asked Andreios.**

**For the last three days both he and the guardian had been keeping a vigil over the princess. In that time, Zane had increasingly started to worry that she wouldn't be waking up again. Even Andreios had expressed some anxiousness over her complete lack of movement. To pass the time, the two had gotten to know each other, both through their conversations and through their silence. They had actually just been arguing about whether or not King Kimsha should be informed or not when Danica had finally shown some life. For just a minute, she opened her grey eyes without seeming to see and said something about mirrors before she promptly fell asleep again.**

**Andreios sat gazing at the princess for a moment. Since Zane had grown somewhat accustomed to him, he had become able to discern his expressions a bit better. Whereas before, Zane had thought that the Avin nobility with a few exceptions were all expressionless, he had come to realize that wasn't true, one just needed practice in dealing with them. At this moment however, Zane was once again having difficulties trying to interpret Andreios' face. It was almost as if he had become overcome by a weary sorrow but was resigned to grit his teeth and bear it.**

**Suddenly he stood and strode over to pull the rope that would summon one of the servants. Seconds later, the princess' maid appeared in the doorway.**

**"Is she-"**

**"She is fine," Andreios assured her. Instantly the maid, Marin, visibly relaxed. "However," Andreios continued, " she might be like before."**

**They stared at each other with grim expressions. Then, as one they moved. Zane watched in equally increasing confusion and irritation as they began to take all of the mirrors out of the room.**

**At length, he could no longer hold it in and barked out the command, "Stop."**

**Both of them turned to look at him with watchful expressions that did not do anything to decrease Zane's ire.**

**"Would one of you be so kind as to inform me why mirrors have suddenly become an issue?"**

**Again, the two shared a look. It was Andreios that spoke.**

**"Do you remember the story I told you of when I first met the princess?"**

**"Of course I do."  
**

**"We are ensuring that there is nothing that might distress her when she wakes up for good."  
**

**Zane huffed in frustration, "But why would mirrors bother her anyways?"  
**

**"That," Andreios said turning to continue his work, "is not our story to tell. You will have to wait for when the princess is ready to tell you."  
**

**Normally, Zane would have expressed how very little he liked the waiting option, but Andreios implying that there was a chance that a time would come when the princess would trust him enough to speak of her past to Zane stopped him. On the one hand, he wanted to know what was going on, but on the other this was the first sign that he could potentially have something better than the cold excuse of a marriage that he had right now. Also, he wanted the princess, Danica, his wife to tell him. He had no idea when having a marriage that was something other than a peace treaty had become so important to him, but it had, especially with Danica. So, in silence, he watched them finish gathering up all of the mirrors in the room, close the curtains so that even the glass of the windows could not be seen, and empty the water from the basin beside the bed.**

**When they had finally left, he turned his attention back to the still figure of the mysterious princess that was causing so much to make so little sense.**


	16. Chapter 16

'There was a time,' Zane thought to himself, 'that life was simple. It made sense. I had an enemy, I knew who it was, and I knew what they were capable of. Now I don't even know what's going on with my own wife.'

He was lounging comfortably in a chair next to where the princess lay sleeping for the past four days. Since the incident, it had become a habit of his to visit her whenever he had a spare moment.

'In truth,' he thought idly to himself while gazing at her pale face, 'if it wasn't for my duties as king, I would probably be spending all of my time here. Although, I don't know why. She only stirred that one time.'

He would have been worried too, except every single healer that had examined her had pronounced that she was doing exactly what she needed: resting to restore her energy. They said it would only begin to concern them if she didn't wake up within the next two days. In the mean time, it gave Zane the opportunity to sit and ponder the curiosity that was the princess and drill Andreios for information on both his wife and her maid.

Mirn, as he had found she was named, was almost as big a mystery as his wife. Andreios refused to talk about her much, though it was obvious to anyone that paid close enough attention the two of them were a pair. She had arranged everything where she was the only one to take care of anything for the princess outside of Andreios and barely talked to anyone outside of him. Even the few times that Zane had attempted to question her on her lady, he had only been able to get short, polite answers that revealed nothing. He had known beforehand from Eleanor about how loyal the princess' two attendants were, but actually witnessing it made him realize just how extreme it was. He had servants that were loyal, but nowhere near the point where they had devoted every aspect of their life to him as the two Avins had apparently done for her. Which, of course, made him return inevitably to his wife. What was it that caused such devotion?

At that moment, Mirn walked in briskly followed somewhat more hesitantly by the boy Kenneth. While Mirn was like always, efficient movement with a serious expression, Kenneth was obviously nervous in his presence. He kept on glancing between Zane and the princess before jerking his eyes back to his task of helping Mirn.

After watching him for awhile in his peripherals, Zane suddenly spoke up, "Do I make you nervous?" He watched as Kenneth slowly straightened and settled a mask of politeness identical to the one that Andreios wore on his face while trying to hide his shaking hands behind his back.

"Should I be? Your Highness?" he asked with what Zane was going to graciously assume was accidental sarcasm on the title. Zane finally turned his head to look at the boy fully. A shooting glare met an impassive gaze and battled for a minute.

Abruptly, Zane said, "I thank you, by the way."

Kenneth's belligerence turned to surprise to wary confusion.

"For saving my nephew and my sister. According to Healer Mikal, if it weren't for you they would have died, and in the aftermath I'm afraid I wasn't able to properly express my gratitude. I am in your debt."

Kenneth was shaking his head as he turned to gaze at the unconscious figure losing all of his hostility at the same time.

"No, your highness. If it weren't for the princess they would have died. I could have been replaced by anyone."

Zane turned his attention back to his wife as well and waited a beat before commanding, "Tell me about her. My wife."

Kenneth, apparently confused by the question asked cautiously, "Am I really the right one to be doing that? Your Higness?"

'No sarcasm this time?' Zane thought to himself before flashing him a grin while responding, "I have asked both Mirn and Andreios multiple times. They never have anything satisfactory that tells me anything about her. At this point I am willing to listen to anything that somebody has to say."

Another short pause ensued while Kenneth looked at Mirn's steadily working figure as if to ask for permission. Eventually, getting nothing, he began.

"I'm not entirely sure how she knew of me, but she sent Andreios after me. According to him, she had only seen me in passing and sensed that I had the healing gift. I didn't believe it because I had been tested by countless healers before with nothing. However, I figured that at the very least I could go see her at the palace and beg someone in passing for a better job. I knew it was a long shot but in my situation I was getting pretty desperate. So I accompanied Andreios to the palace and straight to the princess' chambers. Immediately she told me to sit and not move. I, of course, sat and didn't move a muscle. She reached out her hand to put it on my forehead and the minute her skin touched mine, I felt a shock. It felt like she had pushed me into myself and followed me down. I'm not sure how to explain it, but she showed me my gift. She explained it to me. And when I came back out, I felt like a different person. I could tell hours had passed because of the light in the room but it had seemed like mere moments. Andreios was standing off to the side and reported that everything I owned had already been moved into the healer's dormitories and my siblings were going to be taken care of by a couple in the palace that couldn't have children. I began studying under her and have excelled ever since."

He fell silent and Zane could see the devotion and wonder on his face as he stared at the unconscious girl.

"Is the princess really that powerful?" Zane asked curiously.

"Yes. She is."

"Then why has she still not recovered?"

"That's because she pushed herself too far. She hadn't recovered from earlier that day!"

"And what had she been doing earlier that day?"

"She was-"

"Kenneth." Mirn broke in suddenly startling both of them and reminding them that she had been there the whole time. "I need you to help me bring in some water for the princess. She will awaken in a bit and will be wanting a bath."

Zane's head whipped to the princess. He didn't see any change from how she looked for the past few days. He turned back to Mirn. Kenneth had already left to do her bidding so it was just the two of them in the room studying each other. Just as abruptly, Mirn inclined her head to Zane saying, "She was in the Broken Tree district. We all went there to help the ones wounded from the fires."

Zane, stunned that she had spoken so much to him, recovered his smile swiftly.

"Was she now? That absolutely delights me."

"Does it?"

"Of course. It delights me to know that the woman I married has some compassion and is not the emotionless doll that she purports to be."

He turned back to observe the princess once again.

"She doesn't seem to be any different. How do you know that she will be waking up soon?"

Receiving no answer he looked back at Mirn. She stood there silently as if she wasn't going to answer.

"I have been with her for many years. I can tell."

So saying, she turned to leave the room. At the door she paused one last time.

"The princess might be…slightly upset when she first wakes up."

"And why might that be?" Zane asked blithely while his eyes narrowed on the maid's back.

"It will be the country's birth day soon. I assume that the princess will be expected to dance the country's heritage as your queen?"

"That would be a reasonable assumption."

"I suggest that you broach the subject of taking private dance lessons with her when she has sufficiently recovered."

"Why would she need private lessons? Why can she not learn the dance with the rest of the dancers that she'll be performing it with?"\

Mirn opened the door and stepped through. The door closed on her back and the words, "You should ask, her highness that when she wakes up."

Zane sank back into his original position and looked at the princess pondering what the maid had just said.

'The princess-queen,' he corrected himself. 'My wife and queen. It's about time I get to the bottom of this. And the only one with all of the answers is Danica herself.'


	17. Chapter 17

Danica could sense that consciousness was in her grasp. With what seemed like the last of her strength, she began her struggle to escape the morass that had claimed her for the past three days once more. The nightmare didn't want to let her go.

It never did.

And it had been so long since she had last had to deal with it that her defenses were especially low. She began straining with all her might to extricate herself from the demons, but she could already tell that she was too weak.

Just as she was beginning to give up and slip back into her endless punishment, an image began to take shape in front of her.

At first, thinking it yet another demon, she braced herself expecting the accompanying pain. Then the image became clearer until it coalesced into the shape of the King of Serapan's face.

Danica had no idea why his image would appear in her subconscious but chose not to think about it too much, as it was distracting the evil specters of her mind. She just focused on his face and kept count of her heartbeats as he drew closer and closer.

Six beats and he seemed to be a few meters from her.

The ghosts lost there surprise and were now whipping themselves into a frenzy.

Four beats and he was now just out of arms reach.

Howling curses the spirits were grasping at her with the desperate need to keep their prey.

One beat and he overwhelmed her vision.

Suddenly, electricity burned through her body as she came back to reality with a crashing jolt and her eyes flew open in shock.

For the life of him, Zane could not say what exactly had come over him.

He had been sitting beside the princess-the queen-after Mirn had left him contemplating the newest mystery of his wife needing to arrange private lessons for the dance, when he was suddenly alerted to the fact that his wife was beginning to show signs of stirring. He had then immediately sat up and moved closer to confirm her awakening. He had indeed seen that her eyelids had indeed begun fluttering as if she was on the verge of waking up, but he also observed that it seemed like she was getting caught by something that held her down. The next minute without even realizing it, he was on his feet so he could look directly in her face, willing her to open her eyes just a little bit more. They finally fluttered halfway open and Zane used his power to try to snare her gaze and force her to awaken.

Instead of catching her in his power though, he instead fell into her subconscious.

Ghostly images of people he didn't recognize, Serapan and Avin both, surrounded the princess and were holding her down. She appeared to be struggling to get away from their grip but it was clear that she wasn't strong enough.

That's when, once again without thinking about it or the consequences, Zane leaned down and kissed Danica.

Within seconds, he felt the difference in her body as she crashed back into reality just as he distantly felt the cold tip of what was unmistakably a sword on his neck. Slowly, reluctantly, he stopped the kiss and pulled back, never taking his eyes off the princess.

"I could have you executed for this, y'know?" Zane said in an offhand manner, more interested in watching with fascination the myriad emotions that were flying across Danica's, at the moment, very expressive face.

"Possibly," Andreios responded calmly as Mirn and Kenneth protected his back from the royal guards that had accompanied his family, the majority of which were gathered in the doorway craning their necks to see what was going on.

"However, I do believe that you should have more pressing worries than that right now. Like whether or not you will be able to give such an order after I've slit your throat."

"No," Zane responded in his signature flippant tone slowly straightening and facing Andreios, "If you actually managed to slit my throat I wouldn't have to give any order. Abilene would be more than happy to dispatch you from this world without mercy in that instance."

Imperceptibly, Andreios began to apply more pressure and the royal guards began to close in on Mirn and Kenneth.

"Stop!"

The command, though given in a raspy and weak voice, still held enough imperiousness to stop everyone in their move towards violence.

Shaky and disheveled, Danica was somehow holding herself up with what appeared to be a panicky desperation.

"Andreios," she said in a cracking voice that gave proof to her current state. "Stand down."

And for the first time that Zane had ever seen, Andreios did not immediately jump to do her bidding.

'Well well well,' Zane thought to himself. 'Is that a crack in the famed loyalty of guardian and master?'

"Andreios," Danica's voice had dropped to a whisper. "Do not ruin everything that I have sacrificed."

Still, Andreios did not move.

It was Mirn that broke the impasse by dropping her weapon first and putting her hand on the guardian's arm. Only then did he slowly lower his sword and step back, turning to face his mistress as she collapsed back onto her bed.

Kenneth and Mirn rushed to her side while the guards rushed to subdue Andreios.

"Leave him," Zane told his men turning to observe Danica again.

It appeared that once she had seen that Andreios had obeyed, she was beginning to descend into some type of panic attack. Her pupils were dilated and her breathing rapid. She was thrashing her head from side to side and holding up her arms as if to protect herself from something.

While Kenneth was obviously bewildered as to what was going on and Andreios seemed to be at a loss for what to do, Mirn remained calm and took charge of the situation with a steely demeanor.

She turned to address Zane.

"Your Highness, I ask that you leave the princess' care to me as I know the best way to calm her. I do however need everyone else out of this room immediately."

Knowing that it was no time to argue, he nodded at the guards, "Leave. Take my family with you."

Abilene made a noise to object but Zane was having none of it.

"OUT!"

The guards snapped to attention and saluted before turning and escorting the rest of the royal family out of the chambers.

Mirn glanced at Zane while rolling up her sleeves and ordering Kenneth to take his leave as well which he also did with some reluctance.

"You can stay so long as you do not get in the way," Mirn said shortly to Zane, her focus already moving back to her distraught mistress. "If I think even for a second that you are a hindrance, I will finish what I stopped Andreios from doing."

Zane ignored the threat and stepped forward, once again surprising himself by acting without thinking.

"What can I do to help?"


	18. Chapter 18

Thank you for reading and for any constructive criticism given. I am currently working to address some of the flaws pointed out. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

oOo

The war had been raging for two hundred and thirty-eight years by the time Zane had been crowned king at the age of seventeen. He was now twenty-five.

Two hundred and forty-six years was a long time. It was long enough for some people to forget basic human concepts of kindness and mercy. It was long enough for them to dream up new and more creative cruelties to inflict on their enemies. And it was long enough for a young man, the leader at that, to see many things that were better left on the battlefield or the prisoner camps.

Even with that, nothing could have prepared Zane for what he was experiencing at that moment.

It had taken Mirn over two hours to calm her mistress down enough to get some much needed nourishment. Even then, the entire time she was eating, Danica kept her face downcast and her shaking body hunched in on itself. The minute she had finished all of the food and drink that Mirn had laid out for her, she had struggled out of the covers and onto her feet. Zane had made to move forward at that but was held back with a shake of Mirn's head. He stared in utter astonishment as his wife, who was still too weak to stand fully on her own and had to lean against the bed, proceeded to try to strip off all of her clothes as fast as she could.

Mirn left her mistress's side for a moment to open the door for Andreios and Kenneth. She had sent them away with quietly spoken orders earlier and they had rushed off to do her business, which turned out to be fetching a bath tub and steaming hot water.

Upon seeing the hot water, Danica became even more frantic in fumbling with her clothes and began to try to tear it off of her body.

Once again Zane started forward but was called off by Andreios' quick call of, "Help me move this into the room."

Momentarily torn, his choice was quickly made for him by Mirn, who had already rushed back to her lady's side. Seeing that she was being helped, Zane assisted Andreios and Kenneth in picking up and carrying the tub into the room about a meter away from the bed right in front of their patient.

Almost before they had finished setting it down, Danica was clamoring into the water. She started to scrub herself viciously. Zane could already see her skin turning red from the amount of force she was using as he stepped back but could not turn away like Andreios and Kenneth had. He was frozen as he watched his wife's odd, frantic behavior.

No thoughts were running through his mind at that moment, just memories. He couldn't help but remember the first time he had ever laid eyes on this woman at the Tigrin court. From that moment on, the lady Danica had never been anything but calm to the point of coldness. However, since the time she had saved his sister and nephew, she had transformed into a maelstrom of emotions, the exact opposite of before. Zane was no longer sure which one she really was, but knew that his fascination with her was growing with each new mystery.

It was unexpected to say the least, but not entirely unwelcome. After all, it would at least make the process of getting a heir more pleasant. First though, he needed to get answers to all the questions he had.

That decided, he came back to himself and turned to see Andreios glaring at him from the doorway. He responded with one of his patented angelic smiles and followed with feigned meekness outside of her bedroom.

Several hours passed before the door finally opened again and Mirn summoned them back to remove the tub of now cold water. Danica was already back in bed and had fallen into a restless sleep that was still more reassuring than her near death slumber of before.

After aiding Andreios and Kenneth once again, Zane returned to his wife's room, subtly locking the door behind him and taking the key.

Mirn was still bustling around cleaning up as he approached the bed.

"Tell me," Zane began in his most beguiling tone, "what exactly was that little display just now?"

Without pausing or even glancing at him, Mirn quickly finished her work and moved towards the door, clearly intending to leave without even acknowledging his presence. Knowledge dawned on her when she could only rattle the handle, and she quickly whipped back around to face him.

Zane smiled at her showing his teeth for the first time.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said mildly before letting hardness slip into his tone and power into his gaze, "you were saying?"

Mirn shifted uncomfortably and quickly averted her eyes from his face though resolutely remaining silent.

Understanding that he was going to have to take more drastic measures, Zane glided forward never taking his arms off of the maid. On the other side of the door came a loud thump which made Mirn flinch. Zane felt the corners of his mouth move up into an even wider smile.

"Ah. That must be the sound of your lover realizing that you and his precious charge are stuck in a room with a very vicious snake."

Startled, Mirn made the mistake of glancing into his eyes. Expecting it, Zane snared her with his gaze.

"Oh? You didn't think anyone would figure it out?" He smirked. "Don't worry. I don't think anyone else has noticed, and I really don't care about whatever is going on between the two of you."

He stopped just in front of her, not doing anything but holding her still.

Leaning over her he leaked a little bit more power out, just enough to compel her to answer and tell the truth.

"What I do care about," he murmured, "are all things involving my _wife."_

_He could now both feel and see Mirn's reaction to that last word. He raised an eyebrow at her._

"_Did you forget that little detail? Did you forget why it is she and I married? Did you forget why it is important to keep the secrets to a minimum? Did you forget that our fragile little peace hangs in the balance?"_

_The noise on the other side of the door was getting louder and more violent, but it had faded to the edge of their awareness as they confronted each other. He kept on applying pressure steadily until finally feeling her give way a little bit._

"_What were those things that I saw in Danica's mind?" he asked quietly._

_Mirn's gaze sharpened._

"_My lady has never spoken of what torments her."_

_Truth._

"_Very well. Then tell me what caused her to be this way."_

_Resisting him again, she responded with, "That is a question that would be best answered by the lady Danica."_

_Zane debated for a moment before nodding._

"_I can agree with that. Then one last question before we end this here and ensure that Andreios does not break down the door in his desperation to get to you and Danica. What type of school is Cremont?"_

_He felt her entire body stiffen at the name. Her mouth twisted into a bitter grimace._

"_Cremont was never a school. It's an insane asylum."_

_Shocked in spite of himself, Zane released her from his grip. Swiftly he produced the key and reached around her to unlock the door. Andreios stood on the other side with his sword already out and at the ready. He stopped mid-stride what would have been another attack on the door. His eyes scanned for any harm done to Mirn or his mistress. Seeing none, he finally relaxed ever so slightly but stiffened again when he saw Zane._

_For his part, Zane was done playing around and let his true face show. Effortlessly he trapped them both with his eyes and his voice which was little above a smooth rumble._

"_My patience has now ended. Do not even attempt to interfere with me and what I desire again."_

_He let it sink in a moment before he continued._

"_Now, I have questions to which I want answers. I completely agree that a few of them are ones that I should be asking my wife; however, I have never been one to do what I should do just because that is what other people think is right. Thus far I think I have been rather generous in my handling of this situation. As I've said though, I am finished."_

_He shifted his attention to Mirn._

"_Why was Danica sent to an insane asylum?"_

_He felt surprise from Andreios. 'He didn't know about that,' Zane realized._

"_I do not know the details," Mirn gasped, breathless from the strain of trying to fight his will. "I only met her for the first time at Cremont."_

_Narrowing his eyes but keeping the smile on his face, Zane processed the information quickly storing some of it away for further examination._

"_What were you doing there?"_

"_At one time I was a part of the sympathizers that wanted to end the war along with my parents. When my parents were exposed, I was taken from them and sent to the asylum."_

"_How did you meet Danica?"_

_At first, Mirn didn't respond. Zane could feel a myriad of her emotions vying for dominance. Her face paled when fear won._

"_We could always hear her," she whispered eyes wide with remembered horror. "Every single day, without fail, we could hear her.:_

"_Who is we?" Zane asked gently._

"_The other sympathizers. It was where they sentenced anyone accused of harboring an enemy, all of us bound and chained in one cell. About once a day, we were taken out of the cell to clean the entire building. _

"_She was the only one allowed to roam freely, but she never left. We couldn't understand it but then, we didn't know who she was either. She stayed in a cell by herself across from us, but her door was never locked and she was left free of restraints. Every day, at random times, some of the fathers would come by, and she would get up and follow them as docilely as a doll. Sometimes she would come back in just a few hours. Others, she wouldn't be back for days on end._

"_Speaking to her was quickly discouraged by the keepers, and she never gave any indication that she wanted to communicate with us. Once, she disappeared for several weeks and everyone thought that she had finally left, but then she returned in the middle of the night._

"_Then, one day, she was taken away and hadn't returned by the time we were let out to clean. While I was sweeping one of the hallways, one of the fathers pulled me aside to clean a particular room. Entering, my eyes watered from the stench of rotting bodies. After I became a bit accustomed to it is when I saw her, the princess. For the first time, I saw her with shackles around her wrists and ankles leading to a box in the middle of the room. It took me a minute to comprehend what I was seeing. She had been chained to a corpse. I looked at her face and saw the nightmares there. Ushered to quickly clean the room and leave, I wasn't able to catch anything else from the scene. However, when the father was walking me back to the cell, he started muttering to himself about how it wasn't right. It was then that I learned that the reason we were being kept there was to keep the princess in check. If she tried to leave, then one of us would be killed for every hour that she was missing."_

"_I never learned what precisely she went through while she was locked up, and I don't want to know. However, I made sure that from that moment on I was one of the ones to clean her cell for her. I would leave her things, sometimes food, sometimes a scrap of cloth, sometimes just a little note scratched into the stone wall. When her brother came to get her, she insisted that the rest of us be freed and I refused to leave her."_

_Mirn stopped to glare fiercely at Zane._

"_That is why I am loyal to her. Because even as a young girl, she was selfless enough to endure that place and its horrors so that others would not be harmed."_

_She inhaled shakily, on the verge of tears._

_Her voice cracking she tried to snap, "Now is that all you need, Your Highness, or can I leave to ensure that my mistress has all she needs when next she wakes up?"_

_Wordlessly, Zane released both her and Andreios who led his love out of the room with a comforting arm around her shoulders as Zane watched them go._


End file.
